What an interesting case, I have spent more of my working day reading all that's been posted than I probably should have.
Daisy you are to be commended for the time and effort you have obviously put into Mark's case and for the way you fight his corner. I'm ever so slightly in awe!!
What I've been left wondering about is the time between when the police claim he died and when Mark said he last saw him, which is quite a considerable difference (sorry didn't make a note of the actual dates!). Now I know there is a thread about "simple means of checking if someone is alive" that discusses this but surely if he were alive for that period there would be at least some shred of evidence, another sighting at least. I get that he used aliases which makes things difficult but it is really that easy to open a bank account using an alias? You say he paid with cash but the cash had to come from somewhere didn't it? It just seems too unlikely that someone can live for that long a period without leaving any mark. I hope Mark's team manages to find something to prove that the date of death is wrong but if they haven't by now what are the chances?
Has anyone ever satisfactorily explained why his Dad felt the need to have so many aliases? What was he up to? I get that Mark's upbringing was unconventional and his Dad, from what I have read, seemed like an eccentric (nicest way to put it!!) but is that explanation enough? There was some talk about possible grooming online, was this followed up because him upsetting an online vigilante group isn't beyond belief.
This feels like one of those cases where the police decided on a suspect and found evidence to prove they were right, possibly ignoring other leads along the way. But that doesn't mean they were wrong though. He does seem like the most likely suspect.
I hope some piece of evidence comes to light that proves he is innocent but I have my doubts. I am well and truly on the fence with this one!!