How internet sleuthing in unsolved University of Idaho slayings can be 'extremely dangerous'
Former FBI agents and law enforcement experts say amateur sleuths are more often than not a hindrance to an investigation, divert resources and attention, and can even be harmful by ensnaring innocent people.
As the University of Idaho hosts a vigil Wednesday evening in remembrance of four students who were fatally stabbed in an off-campus home, the lack of a suspect or a clear motive more than two weeks later has fueled frustration toward police and given rise to amateur detectives determined to crack the case.
The hundreds of tips and calls provided to local, state and federal investigators as a result of cyber sleuthing can help — both to pinpoint plausible leads and to rule out potential suspects — but former FBI agents and law enforcement experts say they more often than not are a hindrance to an investigation, divert resources and attention, and can even be harmful by ensnaring innocent people.
"With what police, with all types of training and all of the resources to help solve just about any type of crime, have at their fingertips, it's kind of hard to believe that anyone just banging around the internet is going to be able to solve the crime that we couldn't," Pete Yachmetz, a retired FBI special agent in Florida with three decades at the agency, said. "I just don't fathom it."
Candles and flowers at a makeshift memorial honoring four slain University of Idaho students outside the Mad Greek restaurant in downtown Moscow, Idaho, on Nov. 15.Nicholas K. Geranios / APBut the case of Gabby Petito, a 22-year-old New York native who went missing last year as she documented her cross-country travels on social media with her fiancé, has become a blueprint of sorts for people fascinated by missing persons and unsolved crimes.
Intrigue surrounding Petito's disappearance exploded on social media with a dedicated hashtag racking up more than 1 billion views on TikTok posts as users theorized what happened to her. Petito's body was ultimately discovered in a Wyoming forest. A manhunt ensued for her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, whose skeletal remains were found a month later in Florida.
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