The Importance of the Footprints in the Snow

Lawrence Schliebauer spent a lot of time cleaning the crime scene, feeding the animals and even took care of two of the pigs at his own house. Was this merely a coping mechanism on Lawrence's part? He had just discovered a brutal scene involving people he had known his entire life one of which could possibly have been his son. There were many in the village that suspected him and Lawrence actually received damages from one man for slander after repeatedly being accused. Despite extensive questioning, the police never arrested him nor found any particular reason to suspect him about others. If it really was Lawrence Schlieb Bauer who murdered the Gruber family, this also calls into question the importance of the footprints