First, I think Dr. McCoy should chime in on this one.
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office must have been run by Roger Goodell 5 years ago. To say they "botched" the investigation would be an insult to botched investigations.
Diego in Seattle wrote:
From what I've read of the case the stepmom has been very uncooperative with investigators. It sure sounds like she had some part in his disappearance.
The stepmom, Terry Horman, was extremely cooperative, right up until the witch-hunt started. Wisely lawyered up once it began.
The MCSO immediately made up their mind that Terry must have been responsible, and pretty much quit exploring other alternatives from the get-go. The problem is, that the evidence doesn't really support their claims. She was seen, was on camera, and had receipts from a store that was 15-20 minutes away from the estimated time of the disappearance. She had her daughter with her. The school (is right on the corner of town, in heavily wooded hills) was having a science fair -- people were coming and going at will, without signing in or out (nice job, Portland Public Schools). Kyron's classmates (sure, 7 year olds aren't the most reliable witnesses) gave testimony that seemed to counter the MCSO's claims.
Then there was the ridiculous murder-for-hire allegations. An "undocumented worker" landscaper claimed she asked him about having her husband killed (because it's the obvious thing to when you're the focus of the largest investigation in state history), and he told the cops. The cops wired him up and sent him to discuss details of the "contract" with her. Except it yielded "WTF are you talking about?" and she immediately called the cops.
So, in short -- I guess if a person was bound and determined to abduct a child, Multnomah County would be a great place to do it, since the sheriff's office puts the Keystone Kops to shame.