Also, her mother is articulate and a real bulldog.
If the family has just said, "Oh, OK," when the Aruban authorities said their leads had come up empty, this would have gone away in a heartbeat.
Not just the girl's beauty, not just the romantic setting, but also the struggle of the family vs. the authorities has excited people.
The Today Show is my background noise while my daughter is getting ready for school, which is why I know about this at all.