Why did she leave the house?

Since the texts have been released, I just cannot stop thinking “why was Asha even outside to begin with, though?!”

I commented on a post last night with a possible sleep walking-ish idea… but as I was laying here waiting for sleep & racking my brain, I had the thought - & I am by no means saying I think her family had anything to do with her disappearance, because I don’t think that… but what if Asha got in trouble that late night/early morning? Probably for something trivial, but her response to her punishment was to “run away?”

We know the power was out early that evening & no one was able to take their usual nightly bath/shower. We also know that when the power came back on around 11p or 12a, idk the exact time, Iquilla went to bed from the couch… but what if she couldn’t get back to sleep & decided to take a hot shower to try & relax a little? Some people just like a routine, ya know? Or, maybe she was just heating something up in the kitchen to eat… because you know, she finally could with the power back on! Anyway, small house=noise=waking the light sleepers. So Asha’s awake now, but won’t go back to bed.. which frustrates mom, because… it’s-the-middle-of-the-night-&-everyone-has-to-be-up-in-just-a-few-hours-to-start-a-brand-new-day.. So Asha is given some type of punishment; & either leaves because of the punishment, or to avoid it?

I was born the same year as Asha, & def remember threatening to run away a time or 2… I’d get about as far as the tall grass along the tree line & then chicken out. Which if this could be the scenario, Iquilla probably didn’t want to argue & honestly thought, “it’s the middle of the night, cold, dark, windy, rainy… she’ll be right back. I know my baby.” Could explain why she didn’t take her jacket. I mean, as a mother myself, in this situation, I would not tell my son to put his coat on if he forgot it. Just for the pure & simple fact that I’d assume him not having it would make him turn around & come back inside all the more quicker.

But Asha didn’t come back. & after multiple minutes of her not returning, I’m sure Iquilla would have then went outside looking for her, & when she didn’t find Asha close by, she woke Harold up… AND THIS IS WHY HE WENT ON THAT “CANDY RUN” IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!! HE WAS LOOKING FOR ASHA!!! & Thinking she couldn’t have gotten far, he probably didn’t go all that far from the house looking for her. When he didn’t find her, he went back home thinking she’d be back soon. This is when I’d think she’d made her way to that shed, took refuge in there from the wind & rain… & who knows, maybe she was trying to get back home when all the eyewitnesses saw her?

She would be back soon. I mean, she’d have to be; right? Who could be that stubborn to stay outside in that weather when they didn’t have to? When she wasn’t back by her normal waking time, & wasn’t at any nearby relatives homes, they would have really started to panic. What if they thought they’d get in trouble for allowing her outside in the first place? Maybe that was their way of protecting OB? I’m sure they thought she’d be found immediately, & never in a million years would we all, as a community, still be searching for her a quarter of a century later… & this is why Iquilla still believes Asha’s alive, because she watched her walk out the door. Why Harold doesn’t really speak in interviews, & why it’s taken OB 25 years to do an interview….

Clearly, I’m just bouncing an idea around & truly mean no disrespect to the Degree Family. I do not think they had anything to do with their Daughter/sister’s disappearance, nor would I blame them, or think they were at fault in a situation comparable to this scenario. I’m literally just grasping at straws here... trying to make sense of the insensible.

Anyway…. Thoughts?