[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Okay, here are some more thoughts for the open-minded. If Danielle was accidentally killed or not, she could have awakened at some point and started screaming. The killer could have put a pillow or something over her mouth to make her quiet and in the process accidentally suffocated her. This wouldn't show up on autopsy. Maybe Law Enforcement already suspects this? The drugging aspect is certainly a possibility I hadn't thought of. It would explain why her and her brothers did not wake up or scream when the intruder arrived. Another theory is that she knew the intruder well enough not to be afraid to go with him. This part has been bothering me the most of all this.

[Southflanknorthpawsis]

I've thought about the chloroform angle. My daughter and a friend were sleeping while traveling to Italy from Switzerland on a train and were chloroformed (sp?) in the middle of the night and robbed. They never knew it and put up no struggle.

They only tasted something strange when they awoke and realized that their bags had been rifled through. They were told by the train personnel that it was a common problem and that it was chloroform. It must be pretty potent because they ripped the buttons off my daughter's shirt and she felt nothing. She didn't believe this act was a sexual thing; just looking for a concealed pouch of money or something.

[cake_crumb]

"The killer could have put a pillow or something over her mouth to make her quiet and in the process accidentally suffocated her. This wouldn't show up on autopsy."

Yes, it would. Bruising and ruptured blood vessles.

[nicmarlo]

she knew the intruder well enough not to be afraid to go with him.

I, personally, suspect this is the case.