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March 6th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda In missing persons and other criminal cases, social networks, blogs and websites are playing a new and sometimes controversial role. As concerned citizens gather online to discuss case developments, their online forums become a central distribution point for all kinds of information. Sometimes it’s locals adding insight about the key players and their past; sometimes it’s researchers who uncover and disclose tidbits of relevant information; legal teams may mingle to try to gauge or sway public opinion; and then there’s all the gossip and speculation, much of which may prove unfounded.
Social Network and Blog Influence on Criminal Investigations
The role of blogs and social networking in criminal investigations is emerging. One prosecutor described the role of social media as “maddening.” Elmore County, Ala., District Attorney Randall Houston told the Montgomery Advertiser, “Facebook is a great source for information when you are investigating a crime. But so much of what goes up on Facebook is complete BS. Somebody heard another person say that this happened, and then boom, it’s all over the place. It’s like that old gossip game we used to play, but it moves at unbelievable speed…”
Whether police and prosecutors like the new trend or not, it appears to be gaining traction. Houston acknowledged that although it can be labor intensive, police do track down leads found online. And they will use ones that pan out at trial.
Jane Bashara Case
The Hinky Meter blog’s owner, Val Hall, is credited with uncovering “explosive allegations” about the Jane Bashara murder case, according to CBS News. Hall’s site uncovered chats between Jane’s husband, Bob Bashara, and his alleged mistress, Rachel Gillett, on a BDSM site that discussed their plan to purchase an SM dungeon to live in together with a third woman. This information squared with other records, including an impending closing date on a house Bashara was in the process of acquiring.
While the Hinky Meter’s Bashara revelations demonstrate how the blogger community can uncover pivotal information, in some cases the blogs draw in commenters in the know.
Ayla Reynolds Case
In the Ayla Reynolds case, there’s little to no local investigative reporting, according to critics like the Seamus O’Riley blog. Instead, social media fill that role. People claiming to be friends and relatives of the missing baby’s father Justin DiPietro or mother Trista Reynolds are posting comments on blogs and Facebook pages devoted to the investigation. A relative of one of Justin DiPietro’s friends, Angela Harry, generated so much controversy when she tried to tell the story on This Little Light of Maine of the night Ayla disappeared, she removed her post and closed her Facebook page. Harry said her information came from DiPietro.
Trista Reynolds’ step-father Jeff Hanson shed new light on the case for the Just Stop the Lies blog, when he emailed the blog owner details about the life insurance policy DiPietro purchased on Ayla’s life. Several other posters, identifying themselves as friends and relatives, are flocking to Justice for Ayla to discuss the case. Tim Crews stopped by to explain a rift between him and Justin’s brother Lance DiPietro after he says Lance told him to stop searching for Ayla. A woman who identifies herself as Aunt Selena, grandmother Phoebe DiPietro’s sister, posts fairly frequently.
While blog and social network readers may not be able to verify the identity of every poster claiming association with case principals, investigators tracking Internet Protocol addresses will. Online arguments, posturing, and even threats offer a unique window in these cases that wasn’t so readily available before social media became dominant.
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