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Like you, I am willing to consider family as suspects if we, the public, were to hear even one little shred of factual information which would serve to provide a motive.

Whyy would anyone want to even consider the family is suspect in bringing harm to Elizabeth? That doesn't make sense at all.

The only possibility of family involvement would surely be INDIRECTLY, maybe by simply knowing or being an acquaintance of the perpetrator without knowing he was capable of such a thing.

For the record, this is the umteenth time I've said this on this thread.

"Why would anyone want to even consider the family is suspect in bringing harm to Elizabeth? That doesn't make sense at all."

This is one of those epic moments, Varina, when you and I are in agreement.

Well. Maybe.

The police say they aren't giving the family a pass.
After all the coverage, I don't think there's been anything that indicates any of the family are mean and low enough to do in Elizabeth. But there is always the possibility of mental illness on the part of some family member, you know, Varina. (You do know of such things....don't you?)

Probably no one in Elizabeth's family is sick/evil enough to have done her in. But I do think it is at least possible that Elizabeth didn't put up a fuss when she was led out of the house--either because she (someone with a 14-yr-old mind) TERRIBLY misjudged someone she found attractive, or, more likely, b/c the criminal convinced her that she would soon be coming back. Either way, Elizabeth is certainly not to blame.

Ed might also suspect that poor naive Elizabeth may have fallen prey to the sort of unrealistic attraction that 14-yr-old girls can feel. Maybe his strange phrasings, etc., come about b/c he IS holding something back--what he might be holding back on is, he might be trying to keep what he considers Elizabeth's honor from being sullied.

The only possibility of family involvement would surely be INDIRECTLY, maybe by simply knowing or being an acquaintance of the perpetrator without knowing he was capable of such a thing.

Sorta like Ed Smart's acquaintance with Ricci, and poor Ed "not knowing that [Rick] was cabable of such a thing." So we've been of the same mind all along!