[evan_]

That style of RV is literally just a production van with a new body dropped on, so I’d assume it has the VIN in the usual places.

They have now confirmed that they used tips as well as the VIN to idwntify the owner:

> Tips from the public helped authorities initially identify Warner as a suspect. The Tennessee Highway Patrol discovered a vehicle part with the VIN that linked the RV to him.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.tennessean.com/amp/40504880...

[notacoward]

Glad that they found it, but I don't think that changes the point. The "usual places" is just one or two places on each model, and bomb sites are messy. They could have been diligent and not found it. You were expressing a certainty that wasn't warranted, and in a way that was slightly disparaging to those actually on the ground doing the work.

[evan_]

My “should” was intended in the sense of “I’m optimistic that they would find it”, not “if they don’t find it it’s because they didn’t try hard enough.”

“You should find carrots in the produce section”, not “you should wash your hands after sneezing”.

If I wanted to convey that tone I should have italicized it or used asterisks. That should have carried my intention more accurately.