It sticks out like a sore thumb on the thread.
"The point is the man left himself open to suspicion by one on one."
No, he definitely did not. As I pointed out above, after having read the rules myself, if the boy had a problem and he couldn't/didn't want to go on hte hike, the sit was fine.
The fact that the paper thought it noteworthy to mention that they stayed alone, and the discussion here, reveals why the rule is a good rule to follow.
I'm pleased you read the rules, but with all due respect you are wrong. The Troop could have left a second Scout with the first Scout and the leader. Four leaders minimum is preferred for trips like this so that two leaders could be left if necessary. There are circumstances that would merit having a single adult with a single Scout, but this is not one.
Consult the other trained leaders on this thread. Leaving one Scout behind with one leader, because the Scout didn't want to go on the hike, violates BSA policy.
You are correct that I misread the article and did not realize that the Troop had returned to find the Scout and leader in the campsite before the Scout disappeared.
Youth protection is as much about protecting the adults as the youth -- it's more difficult for a youth to make an unmerited accusation if two adults are present. Merit badge classes, Scoutmaster conferences, and similar interactions with Scouts are held in the view of others, or in the presence of two adults.
This situation in North Carolina may be a tragedy. It may be nobody's fault other than the Scout's -- but Troops that skirt one safety rule often skirt others.
Can I quote you chapter and verse of the entire Guide to Safe Scouting? No, I'd have to pull the current guide. But I've been trained (more than ten times in Youth Protection; Council requirements for summer camp, National requirements for multiple Philmont and Sea Base trips), I've chaired the Council's Risk Management Committee, I serve as legal advisor to the Health and Safety Committee, I've been a Council Commissioner, and have been interviewed on appropriate Safe Scouting regulations in connection with taking Troops to two National Scout Jamborees, the upcoming World Scout Jamboree, and an international trip.
You DON'T leave one Scout behind with one leader for the sheer convenience of it. If three leaders went with the rest of the Troop, then one of them should have stayed behind.
NONE of that may have had anything to do with this Scout's disappearance. I've certainly had Scouts with the uncanny ability to walk away from a campsite despite knowing that the buddy system was allowed.