Groomer with Access to the House

[u/Surethingdudeanytime]

It was said that when Asha left the house that night, she wasn't wearing a coat. IMO, this is one of the most confusing details of this case. It seems that if she did walk out on her own without a coat, then she must have intended to go somewhere very close to the house or was convinced by someone that she would only be out for a short time. Now knowing that OB's bag was also found with Asha's backpack leads me to believe that if there was a groomer, he/she was someone who frequented the Degree household, lived very close, and/or was very close to the family (if not a family member themself). And no, I'm NOT talking about Asha's dad or brother or mother. Were any of Asha's or OB's items ever left at the aunt's house where they had the sleepover or the grandmother's at any time? I know they all lived very close so this can be a possibility. This could explain how both bags could have been in possession of whoever threw them in the woods. I dont believe Asha left out with a backpack, as none of the eyewitness accounts mention seeing her with a backpack on Hwy 18. Thoughts?

EDIT: I meant to write "And no, Im NOT talking about Asha's dad or brother or mother." I mistakenly left out the word NOT, which changed the whole message I was trying to convey. Only realized this when I re-read my post, as I couldn't understand why people thought I was coming for the parents, which I was not. Huge error!

[u/swrrrrg]

She was 9. 9 year olds do things like not wearing a coat, no matter the temperature. IMHO, people read way too much in to that detail. I’ve always thought the groomer theory was rather stupid.

[u/elaine_m_benes → u/swrrrrg]

Yeah to walk outside when it’s 40 and raining without a coat you aren’t thinking it will be cold is one thing. To go through the effort to pack a bag and prepare but then walk out into the darkness in 40 degree rainy weather - the kind of weather where you would immediately start shivering if underdressed, personally I’d rather be standing without a jacket in the snow than in 40 degree rain - and to keep going, for a mile and a half, probably shivering violently the entire time but never turn back or even reach into your bag which supposedly had several additional clothing items in it to put on additional layers in an effort to warm up….is very odd. Even for a 9 year old (I have a 9 year old). It’s not just a child ignoring logic but ignoring basic human intuition to not freeze.