Sherlock Holmes' Needed for the Case of the Kidnapped iPad

Question

My cousin's iPad II is wifi only with IOS 6 installed.   It goes missing from a grocery cart while she's on holiday on the Oregon Coast.  She calls me.  I check Find Friends on my iPhone and the app can't locate the device.  I sign on to Find My iPhone using my cousin's Apple ID.  Her iPad is listed but shows as offline.  I put it in Lost Mode, lock the keypad, and enter a message with my phone number.
The next morning i check Find Friends and again the iPad can't be located.  Next I check Find My iPhone which now indicates 'No Devices'.  I'm not positive what exactly this status change means.
That afternoon I check again.  Find My iPhone is the same (No Devices) but now Find My Friend shows the iPad under my cousin's Apple ID is residing in an apartment complex in Salem, OR; 1 hour away from the last known location.  It has been there for the last 3 days.
By this chain of events, should I be able to understand what's happened (cause I don't).  Here's what has me puzzled:
Is the screen lock command from Find-My-iPhone still working?  I'm doubtful.  If it did work then my cousin's iPad is a) living in an apartment with an unsecured access point and the gadgetnappers are charging a device they can't use.
If the lock is not still working but it did initially work?.  If the answer is to this is yes then what happened?  The gadgetnappers reset the device and reloaded IOS software?  From their Mac? From their own AppleID? And if the device was reset/reloaded then what accounts for my cousin's AppleID still being associated with the FInd My Friends app and iMessage App (I've sent it messages and they show delivered)
If the lock never worked, why not? Wouldn't Lost Mode identify the device as soon as the iPad touched the Internet?
Why are those gadegetnappers ignoring my messages?
I'm not  gonna try and rescue the thing.  The neighborhood is decidedly low rent but looks safe  (wind chimes and beer coolers on the balconies) and one of the tenants happened to be sitting on the front steps the day the Google Truck drove by and she looked friendly. Still, ya never now when it comes to gadget nappers.  Mostly, i'm just curious - about what the apps are trying to tell me
I'm not smart enough to piece this together.  Could some of you smart folks reflect on the clues and tell me what you think is going on?
Thanks

Answer 1

If it vanished out of the shopping cart, well I doubt anyone borrowed it.
however, the 'find my' app has a fatal weakness in that unless the device is on the internet, it's invisible. And the iPad can be wiped clean in a matter of minutes (if the device doesn't have any passcode lock on it, you don't even need a computer or software to wipe it and reset it, you can do it from the device)
It's possible that the napper has gotten the iPad on the net without wiping it (if so, then your friend's info and e-mail and passwords are all vulnerable and should be changed immediately). It's also possible that it's been wiped and what you're seeing is just a 'ghost'.
I have to say, even if you have the address of the complex where the device supposedly is....the chances of the cops knocking door to door looking for it....very slim.
they have much bigger fish to fry than a stolen device.
You can register the theft with them, and the serial number, that way if it ever shows up at a pawn shop or part of some other investigation you MIGHT get it back.
But, unfortunatley, it's gone.
Now, one big thing about iOS7, presuming that software keeps its announced features into the release, is that a device can't be wiped without knowing the Apple ID associated with it. So thieves will hopefully have a harder time than they do now. Won't help you, unfortunately, but mgiht help in the future.