Post by Joanna on Jul 16, 2014 22:40:23 GMT -5
Armchair detectives try to crack missing persons case on web forum
CALGARY, Alberta – As news helicopters circle over an Airdrie area acreage and investigators comb the scene, online forum poster “Otto” uploads a labeled topography map. “The small boxes are the buildings,” he writes. Shortly after, a stranger named “Mrsguest” puts the address through a property search and links it to a business. Another user posts information about the person of interest in the ongoing missing family case. But it actually pertains to someone with a similar name. Moderators quickly delete the post.
The investigation into the disappearance of Alvin and Kathryn Liknes and their grandson Nathan O’Brien, 5, has captivated media across the country, but it’s also encouraged strangers worldwide to post their speculations online in a trend officials say can both help and hinder their work. “Crime has always been an interest for me, and this is happening almost in my neighborhood,” said Cheryl Christie. The former crime reporter spent almost five hours each day last week combing over details of the case. She’s among scores of amateur online sleuths, who have collectively posted over 2,000 anonymous messages related to the case on the forum websleuths.com. Users have deciphered police statements, used clever search tricks and pieced together family trees and timelines.
Launched in 1999 for strangers to follow the JonBenet Ramsey case in the United States, the forum now nets over 65,000 users, half of whom log on almost daily. The site is among a handful dedicated to following and probing unsolved crime and missing-persons cases across North America.
“You find some interesting people,” said Christie, who joined the forum specifically to follow the O’Brien case. “One is a former cop with incredible investigative skills. One is someone who lost two children in horrible circumstances; their insights are always incredible.” Christie, who’s seeking work after a few years abroad, parsed through Lethbridge newspaper articles on the case’s person of interest. “I really approach it as an exercise in keeping my search skills up to scratch,” she said. “For me, it’s not just salacious gossip kind of thing, it’s almost an academic thing.”
Rachel Wells – who asked the Herald to use her middle name – said she’s long had an interest in true-crime shows, and would go online to learn more details. She joined the forum almost two years ago, spending about half an hour on the site each week – though it’s now closer to two hours a day with the O’Brien case.
While many in the forum are from outside Alberta, Wells lives in Calgary and joined media at the Airdrie search scene. “It was different talking about it, reading and watching, and seeing (police) comb through the grass for evidence,” said Wells. “It just brought another level of realness. It was nice to have someone on the forum to be there and provide a perspective different than the media. I felt compelled to go.”
Users have posted information in these forums that Canadian journalists haven’t published because it hasn’t been confirmed, or due to legal and ethical restrictions.
In the O’Brien case, media outlets like the Herald have published some of the same details posted in the forums days earlier. While reporters come across the same information on their own – and must follow a higher standard of proof – amateur sleuths have accused journalists of taking credit for their work.
Meanwhile, critics say these websites have the potential to spark vigilantism and compromise investigations. After last spring’s Boston Marathon bombings, a Reddit forum misidentified people as perpetrators – including a 22-year-old who then killed himself.
But forum proponents cite cases where the website has helped produce evidence. Many point to the 2009 murder of Abraham Shakespeare, a Florida lottery winner whose death forum users linked to his financial adviser, who was ultimately convicted.
For Christie and Wells, the key to websleuths.com is its moderators. “I think the staff try to be skeptical; they’re very anti-rumor,” Wells said. “People get really caught up in their snooping and maybe get excited about finding something and don’t think so much about the bigger picture.”
Any names not previously reported by media or police are quickly removed. While some people post bizarre conspiracy theories, derogatory remarks about victims are rare, and swiftly deleted.
“There’s always the risk of misinformation; people are speculating but among that are some real gems of people who have really done their homework,” said Christie.
Meanwhile, a private Facebook group has attracted over 850 people, who also share detailed theories and findings. Unlike forums such as websleuths.com, the group doesn’t have moderation guidelines, leading to speculation with even less proof.
“There can be a lot of nonsense. But when people are allowed to publish things that are not as verified, it just helps to open avenues.”
Calgary police won’t comment on ongoing investigations, but said online forums in general are a mixed blessing. “Anytime we have a significant investigation, we know that it will spark online conversations and commentary,” said Const. Jeremy Shaw. “We have to provide significant resources to triage each of these tips and conversations, and ensure that we look into the merits of each one individually.”
Almost all forum dwellers are supportive of the police. One member of the private Facebook group even approached the lead investigator of the O’Brien case, who said he appreciated people’s interest but advised against contributing evidence or joining in search operations to avoid compromising the investigation. “In some cases when we receive an abundance of ‘forum-dweller’ theories and tips, it makes it difficult to spot the valuable information as the good tips get so diluted among the junk,” Const. Shaw said. Herald reporters have also received well over a dozen theories and possible leads of varying quality.
For Const. Shaw, it’s important forum users be mindful of the danger of misinformation spreading online, citing the Boston case. “This is why we carefully control the information released to the media and public, and actively try to correct any misinformation that we find both online and in traditional media,” he said.
Wells says it’s a matter of citizens trying to help officials, with most staying in line. “For a lot of people like me, you hear about a story and you want to hear more, you want to help,” she said. “I think everybody is coming from a place of concern.”
Source: Dylan Robertson, The Calgary Herald, July 14, 2014.