BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Investigators have yet to call a suspect within the stabbing deaths of 4 University of Idaho students who were found dead in a house near campus last month. But would-be armchair detectives and web sleuths have give you several of their very own, the conclusions often based on conjecture and rumor.
Online forums with 1000’s of members are stuffed with people speculating about possible motives, doxxing the victims’ friends and acquaintances and even outright labeling some people as murderers.
“Persons are taking place these rabbit holes, and so they’re hyperfocusing on one individual and attacking that individual,” said Tauna Davis, an Idaho State Police trooper who helps the Moscow Police Department handle the influx of media interview requests. “You’re attacking, most definitely, an innocent person.”
The killings have drawn worldwide attention, especially amongst true crime aficionados. That is likely because so few facts are known in regards to the case, said Julie Wiest, a sociology professor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and an authority on extreme violence in media.
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“Often by now, there’s more facts which have been released by law enforcement, so I could see that ramping up the form of digging and almost grasping at straws by people,” Wiest said. “It’s not that typical, except in high-profile cold cases, where you may see people digging in that way.”
Lots of the online sleuths are likely well-intended, she said — perhaps driven by a desire to avoid similar crimes, hoping to bring justice or simply looking for somewhat fame inside the true crime fandom.
But they might not realize the harm wild speculation could cause, and today’s theories will likely still exist online years from now, endlessly linking innocent people to a brutal crime.
“People should perhaps take into consideration knowing what they post is in writing endlessly, and perhaps also remembering that there are real people here. The families of the victims also needs to be considered,” Wiest said. “You possibly can speculate while talking along with your friends in your front room, but once you place it on the web — even when it’s only a one-off thought that popped into your head — it’s there now and it’s not going away.”
The victims and their friends are young enough that much of their lives has been documented online, providing a wealth of fabric for web sleuths to mine. Photos and rumors once shared with a small circle at the moment are being widely disseminated, exposing the themes to harassment.
Some sleuths suggested one person’s photo of a successful hunting trip was evidence of nefarious leanings. They could have been unaware that hunting is a standard pastime for a lot of Idaho families and that fixed-blade knives are a basic tool for anyone who field-dresses wild game.
Others chased rumors posted to a completely anonymous online message forum best generally known as a source of hoaxes, scandals and misinformation. Those rumors criticized and published personal details about various people within the Moscow area, suggesting they must be suspects.
Some even examined obituaries of other University of Idaho students who’ve died previously few years in an try to tie them to the homicide victims, though not one of the other deaths were the results of foul play. No less than one grieving member of the family went online to ask people to stop attempting to link his child’s death to the case and to respect the family’s privacy.
All of the rumor and wild conjecture aside, there might be some profit to crowdsourced investigation.
“More heads are higher than one, and it’s possible that folks on the web know something that police don’t,” said Christopher Slobogin, a law professor at Vanderbilt University.
Police are welcoming suggestions but urging people to remain focused on the information released by the police department, not guesses and rumors. Last week they asked the general public for help tracking down a white sedan that was seen in the realm across the time of the killings.
The web forums and community members went to work, and Moscow police announced Thursday that investigators were now sorting through 22,000 registered 2011-2013 Hyundai Elantras that matched their search criteria. The department thanked tipsters for his or her help providing additional information in regards to the vehicle.
It’s law enforcement’s job to follow up on those leads, Slobogin noted.
“We don’t want vigilantes on the market attempting to take the law into their very own hands,” he said.
Robbie Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Moscow Police Department, said the eye and speculation has been “awful” for the people at the middle of it.
“None of those people did anything fallacious. Nothing,” she said. “All of us have our LinkedIns, or Facebook pages, and this might really occur to anyone related to some form of crime. I actually have lots of sympathy for them.”
Johnson declined to speak in regards to the nature of the harassment for fear of fanning the flames.
“The speculations, the rumors, the accusations — anything you place on that fireplace will just make it burn hotter, so I don’t wish to add any more to that,” she said.
The police department announced earlier this month that it could bring charges against harassers if essential.
In a video statement, Capt. Roger Lanier said some people locally have received death threats and the effect is a revictimization of people that have suffered “terrible trauma.”
He added that the rumors and harassment might be disheartening, but investigators are driven to unravel the case.
“We make progress on daily basis, every hour,” Johnson said, “and that’s what keeps you feeling confident and going — knowing that the investigation goes somewhere.”
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