Yes, the parents had the house up for sale. Yes, they had held open houses, which would be how this person could have known where the girls bedroom was. Yes, they were remodeling the house. Which means that it could have been someone that was working on the house. However, this can easily be checked out by people who were doing the remodeling to see if someone shows up missing.
As far as the younger sister waiting hours to tell her parents, I don't understand that part. My son would have been screaming bloody murder if he had just seen his brother taken by gunpoint. The saddest part of all is that this "window of time" has given the perpetrator plenty of time to get away.
And let's not forget about the two girls in Oregan who were kidnapped in broad daylight--they still haven't found who did this. So sad.
How would this square with the kidnapper "not knowing his way around the house" as is repoted in the 2nd story? A visitor to the house would have a minimal understanding of its layout, especially if they remembered exactly where her room was. And someone working on a remodel would have a pretty detailed understanding of the homes layout. And I still want to know how they know he didnt know his way around the house.
Well, kids are all different. They don't react the same way, and even at 9 they're not fully rational beings. Personally, I tend to believe that the 9-yo sister would indeed be silent for fear of causing her sister to be hurt.
I really hope this poor kid is still alive.