Gabby Petito case marked ‘watershed’ moment for internet sleuths after breakthrough amid wild theories, ex-NYPD cop says
A FORMER NYPD cop has told how the Gabby Petito case marked a "watershed" for internet sleuths.
The vlogger mysteriously disappeared while on a cross-country road trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie during the summer of 2021, sparking widespread interest among Americans.
The 22-year-old had documented her travels by sharing van life images and clips on her social media accounts.
Michael Alcazar, a former detective at the New York Police Department, believed Gabby's online presence helped grab the public's attention.
He told The U.S. Sun: “She had a YouTube presence, an Instagram channel, and a strong following.
“People became invested in the case and wanted to solve it.”
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Alcazar described the case as a "watershed" for internet detectives.
He added: "It's definitely something that has stood out in the memories of civilians and police officers."
Sleuths tried to uncover clues after Gabby was reported missing by her family on September 11.
Just days after she disappeared, the vlogger's hashtag on TikTok had been viewed nearly 800million times.
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Gabby had reportedly last spoken to her family on August 24, telling them she was heading to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
Travel vloggers Jenn and Kyle Bethune revealed that they saw Gabby’s white van abandoned at the side of the road just days later.
Jenn told ABC’s 20/20: "We both got goosebumps all over our body.
"We knew it was her van as soon as the footage passed by it.”
She described the vehicle as looking “lifeless” as she recalled the moment.
It remains unknown if the sighting of the van prompted cops to identify Gabby’s body, but Alcazar believed it was a significant moment.
He said: “Who knows if the police officers and detectives would’ve found Gabby’s remains without the help of the YouTubers who filmed the van?”
An armchair detective, known only as Cindy M, told The U.S. Sun at the time: "I have lost sleep over this case.
"I am not a crime solver, I just have an analytical mind.
"And I thought if I can help, I want to. Gabby just seemed so sweet, and was off on this big adventure."
The vlogger’s body was found on September 19 before it was revealed she died from strangulation.
WILD THEORIES
Weeks after Gabby's remains were discovered, law enforcement scrambled to find Laundrie, who was considered a fugitive.
Sleuths peddled several baseless theories amid the silence.
Internet detectives claimed on TikTok that he was hiding in his parent's garden, or tucked away in a crawl space under an ex condo.
Others baselessly speculated that he was hiding out on the Appalachian Trail in a bid to evade cops.
Reddit users claimed that he may have headed to Costa Rica and another wild theory peddled that Laundrie was hiding in a boat.
Sleuths also claimed to have spotted Laundrie in a restaurant in Mexico while the search was ongoing.
Laundrie’s partial skeletal remains were eventually found in a Florida nature reserve in October after a search that lasted weeks.
But several social media users falsely claimed that they had seen Laundrie when in fact they hadn’t.
While internet sleuths have immersed themselves in mysteries, they have been guilty of wrongly misidentifying people as perpetrators.
For example, history teacher Rebecca Scofield filed a defamation lawsuit against TikToker Ashley Guillard after the influencer accused her of being involved in the murders of four University of Idaho students.
Internet sleuths are not professionals and the information [that they share] might not be accurate.
Michael Alcazar
The court document, which has been seen by The U.S. Sun, stated: "Guillard's statements are false. Professor Scofield did not participate in the murders, and she had never met any of the victims, let alone entered a romantic relationship with them."
Guillard made the baseless accusations in a series of videos that were shared on the social media platform.
Officers at the Moscow Police Department quickly ruled out Scofield as a suspect.
Bryan Kohberger was arrested weeks after the students were found dead at an off-campus home in Moscow in November.
Alcazar believes big tech giants should add disclaimers to sleuths' social media posts that potentially spread misleading information.
He said: “Right off the bat, the person viewing the post is aware that the sleuth is not law enforcement.
“Internet sleuths are not professionals and the information [that they share] might not be accurate.”
'IRRESPONSIBLE' SLEUTHS
Alcazar blasted internet sleuths that involve themselves in cases for the “money and likes” as opposed to trying to solve the mystery.
He said: “There’s definitely a factor of irresponsibility as they want to generate money to support their channel and themselves.”
Meanwhile, Belli admitted that he doesn't want to see posts being censored online.
He said: “You can pretty much say what you want up until the point where it's detrimental."
Belli and Alcazar believe that the presence of internet sleuths will not disappear any time soon.
Belli said web detectives are not just a potential recruitment tool for law enforcement, but can also be a vital resource.
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He said: “Online sleuths spend a large amount of time right out of the gate, surfing the internet and pulling information.
“But, there may be some little nook and cranny that law enforcement may have missed but a sleuth grabbed it.”
