I'm very sorry to hear about your friend. Sony makes some of the most Light Sensitive Camcorders on the market. With the addition of Night Shot (and Super Night Shot) the camcorder will shot in complete darkness. All camcorders (Canon,JVC, Panasonic,..ect..) should come with a wireless remote, however a Mic Input is a very rare option on consumer grade camcorders these days.
Recording reliability is pretty much the same for all models and formats. Editing is best done on a computer but “in Camera” editing can also be done with some practice. Transfer to DvD can be done with a stand alone DvD burner by connecting with the supplied A/V (Audio Video) cables or transferred to a computer for burning later. Best wishes for your friend.

Sorry to hear that your camera may have been stolen. It's great that you got the Performance Service Plan from Best Buy at the time you purchased the camera, unfortunately the coverage provided by that plan does not include replacement if the product is stolen. The Performance Service Plan is designed to keep your product in great working order throughout the life of the plan. If you have household or renter’s insurance, you may want to check with those providers to see if you are covered under their plans for stolen property. If it was stolen from your car you may want to check your auto insurance coverage.

Children are the most popular and the most tricky subjects to photograph. Compacts are convenient and easy to carry however you may miss some shots due to shutter lag time. An Advanced Camera will give you some of the features of a D-SLR without the price. You will have more creative control than a compact camera and faster shutter response time. But limited to the attached lens as compared to the interchangeable lenses of a full D-SLR. The D-SLR will give you the most control. No shutter lag time, continues shooting mode (burst mode), stronger flash, unlimited expandability and longer durability. As to “easy to use”....every camera...compact, advanced and yes..even D-SLR has a setting for FULL AUTO where it is just “Point-N-Shot”.

Some Advanced Cameras such as Canon – PowerShot, Kodak - EasyShare and others will record lengthy video clips. The common screen size is limited to 640x480. Some will record in what they call HD but is still not a true Video Resolution. The video formats also vary. Some recording in AVI format and some in Quicktime MPEG-4 and so on. Digital cameras are designed to take Photos at the best quality they can. Video is just an added feature for sending over the internet. Video camcorders take photos too, but the quality is not as good as a true digital photo camera.
If your looking to shoot long video clips, 5mins or longer, you may want to look at a camcorder that will take photos at a quality you will find acceptable.