I talked to Tami last night - they are hoping to go with the repo guys today to retrieve the car. They have accepted, to a degree, that a lot of Diana's belongings, especially the valuable stuff, will not be recovered now and just really want to get back on the road and head for home ASAP.
The cat has gone feral and seems, from what they could see, to be fine. They are not making any further attempt to take it with them.
Tha main problem here is that they headed west with an assurance that the paperwork that had been sent from Maine would give them the protection of the local law enforcement agency but found a sheriff's department that seems to be going out of its way to be unhelpful. To get the paperwork these people want would take more time than Tami and her mother want to spend over there and I know that, once they leave there, they will not want to go back so right now it's all about recovering as much as possible and the car is an essential that they must have to drive back.
It's fine for all of us to sit here and say walk away, even if you can't get your stuff, but more difficult for the woman in that situation, having to start all over again from scratch. That course of action only empowers the abuser, who would perceive it as a victory for him. It is also likely to make the victim feel that they are still in that position and cause even more of a loss of self esteem. Right now I know that horror stories about individual experiences are doing more harm than good and were not what this thread was meant for. These ladies, right now, need practical advice and support from us.
The real shitheads here are the local law. I do wonder if the abuser has ties with anyone there - they certainly seem to be favouring his corner to an unnatural degree. Unfortunately no other law enforcement department will tread on their toes and so Tami and her mother have been left with recourse to any legal protection. That is just not right. As previously stated, getting that legal protection will take more time, and possibly more cash, than they can afford right now - they have enough to do with a cross country drive possibly with worsening weather on the way. They cannot stay in WA indefinitely either. Hence getting the repo guys to recover the car.