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Regarding the 13 hour clearing--most of this can be gleaned from the newspapers. They stated on the 4th (remember they found her missing on the 2nd) that the van Dams and their friends had been completely cleared. So even if you add another 24 hours onto that 13 hour figure, that's a very short amount of time to "fully investigate" 13 registered sex offenders, 4 swingers with drug ties (one of whom brandished a little blue pill with a V on it), the van Dams themselves, the patrons at the bar ogling Brenda dancing the hootchykootch with others in her party, and the 180+ other residences in the neighborhood. But it becomes clear that by 9 a.m. Monday morning (the 4th) that Westerfield is a suspect. Note the testimony:

           15         Q.   How many officers were in the general area when 

           16     you contacted Mr. Westerfield, total?

           17          A.   I'd say seven, including myself.

Now, that's a lot of manpower to question one man. Further in the testimony, they reveal that they had already interviewed everyone else in the neighborhood, so those seven officers were there to interview one man. David Westerfield. At that time, 9 a.m. on Monday the 4th, he was their prime suspect. On the 5th, they impounded his vehicles.

So the disappearance was reported around 10:30 the 2nd, and everyone but Westerfield was eliminated as a suspect by 9 a.m. on the 4th. That's a lot of clearing to do: did the police pull everyone off all their other assignments to do this lightning-quick investigation?

That's a lot of clearing to do: did the police pull everyone off all their other assignments to do this lightning-quick investigation?

If it weren't so serious,it would be laughable. It is more than curious that all were eliminated and one was fingered SO RAPIDLY !!!!!!

I may be naive, but I can't imagine a responsible team of investigators willing to give the quick glance treatment to the "friends" of Damon and Brenda. It is illogical, questionable and unusual.

If nothing else, they should have wanted to nail down details of the hours preceding the crime and verify a number of stories. How could they possibly be convinced that the perp acted alone or that other people had not contributed; perhaps even unwittingly?