‘It’s Like Doing a Canvass’
“Social media apps have become the way of communication, especially with the younger generations who know no different,” Tulsa, Okla., homicide detective Jason White, who has been featured on A&E’s The First 48, tells A&E Crime + Investigation. “Therefore, social media can be paramount and really just as important as the smoking gun, so to speak.”
Sometimes social media can be used to spread the word about a case, while other times, it holds clues that help crack it.
“Social media, or the media in general, like any tool, can be weaponized,” safety and security expert Bill Stanton tells A&E Crime + Investigation. “It could be used for good or for evil, and the more control the investigative body or investigators have over that, in my opinion, the better. But sometimes law enforcement makes a mistake; sometimes they hold cards too close to the vest. So, it's on a case-by-case basis.”
Stanton referenced his experience with the 2011 disappearance of infant Lisa Irwin in Kansas City, Mo. He utilized social media to spread awareness of Lisa’s case. “It would deputize everyone,” he says. “To me, that was paramount, putting more eyes on this.” While Lisa’s case remains unsolved, in 2021, Lisa’s father Jeremy Irwin told KSBH 41 he was still hopeful that social media could help find his daughter.
White and the Tulsa homicide team utilized social media to help close their case in the First 48 episode “Young Guns,” in which Facebook accounts were used to identify multiple suspects in a convenience store shooting that killed Walter Hogan and injured another woman. It’s one of several instances in which White has used social media as a resource, and he believes that it can be incredibly useful to police, particularly when it comes to cold cases.
“Today, a smart detective should consider doing short video clips or posts talking about cold cases from time to time,” he says. “Social media outlets [are] how most people are getting their news, via news feeds being sent directly to their phones. So, when you post a segment about a cold case specifically, it’s like doing a canvass to countless people who then share the post to their friends, who share and post to their friends, therefore getting the word out.”
However, White cautions that social media needs to be considered just one appliance in a police officer’s arsenal. Social media statements still need to be substantiated, and investigators need to seek other evidence. Police departments should look at social media and phone data as just potential components in a larger investigation.
“The biggest concern or liability about using social media in a criminal investigation is not being able to trust the source,” forensic psychiatrist Carole Lieberman tells A&E Crime + Investigation. “Some people are simply trying to help, while others are trying to get famous and just want to become a part of the story. Meanwhile, these social media posts influence people who may then turn up on the jury and not ever remember where they developed their beliefs about the crime.”
She cites the recent trial of hip-hop mogul Diddy as one example of social media’s negative impact. “The [Diddy] trial became a circus both on social media and in the courtroom itself,” Lieberman, who has served as an expert witness in several high-profile cases says, “having an untold influence on the jury.”
Another concern for police departments is the considerable rise in amateur sleuths—podcasters, bloggers and other civilians who become involved in investigations. In some instances, they can provide a different perspective or help point law enforcement in the right direction, but they can also obstruct investigations or create controversy.
Lieberman credits amateur sleuths with making important gains in the disappearance of Gabby Petito, when her boyfriend Brian Laundrie refused to cooperate with police. “Internet sleuths were able to find information that ultimately led to her body being found,” she explains. “The pressure of their continued sleuthing led to Brian [dying by] suicide and leaving behind a notebook that revealed his having killed her.”
Stanton points out that social media can negatively impact the lives of people involved in investigations. “We take what’s on social media, more times than not, as gospel if it looks official enough, if it’s worded correctly enough,” he cautions. “That’s pretty hard to undo, if you label someone something on social media, and it gets legs. So, when it comes to investigations, it’s very tough.”
White adds, “I think people having a discussion is great as long as their efforts don’t compromise an investigation. Furthermore, if they happen across something that could assist detectives, it should be immediately shared with police.”
