Web sleuths (see: websleuth.com) are amateur detectives who attempt to solve mysteries from their computers on their own time and at their own expense. Their usefulness is questionable at best, nevertheless, it gives one a little hope to know that many people are still looking for Madeliene McCann.
Maddy disappeared from her apartment bedroom in Praia da Luz, a resort in the Algarve region of Portugal while her parents were not far away eating at an outside restaurant. The family is from England and was vacationing in Portugal when the kidnapping occurred in may, 2007. Maddy was 3 at the time, just days from her 4th birthday.
Her disappearance has captivated people like Anya Chand for more than six years.
The London, England-based writer started following the McCann case soon after she disappeared. Chand, a 43-year-old parent of one, says she follows the case out of curiosity — curiosity strong enough to spend months reading 11,000 pages of case files.
What internet investigators lack in tools and training, they make up for in sheer numbers.
The full-time writer and Websleuths member recently finished a novel about a missing girl. Her story, Aida Was Here, features some parallels to Madeleine’s disappearance, but isn't based on the case, she says, citing at least one key difference.
"My girl was found," she says.
Many are thinking of the victims' relatives, says Tricia Griffith, co-owner of Websleuths. She says even if police have stopped investigating, some good comes out of keeping cold cases alive.
"Just knowing that somebody else cares means a great deal to the families," she says.
And occasionally, web sleuthing does turn into something tangible.
In December, five people disappeared when their plane crashed into a snowy Idaho mountainside. After official searches were suspended, family members made a personal appeal to the forum, asking users to search for the wreck through satellite images.
On Jan. 10, thanks in part to the crowd-sourced effort to click through mostly empty swaths of snow, the plane was located. Though the passengers didn't survive the crash, the online community offered closure when a real-life search team couldn't.
But not all web sleuthing ends positively.
In April 2013, members of the social news website Reddit attempted to track down the Boston Marathon bombers. Users named 22-year-old Brown University student Sunil Tripathi — who had gone missing a month before the bombings— as a possible perpetrator.
Before it became clear he had nothing to do with the incident, a Facebook page set up to locate Tripathi had already been filled with accusations. The family soon suspended the page to avoid harassment.
Outside the forum, however, some people go to great lengths to attempt to assist official investigations.
Heriberto Janosch has a personal blog devoted to solving the McCann case. Based in Spain, the 56-year-old has degrees in both psychology and criminology, and has paid out of his own pocket three times to travel to Praia da Luz, Portugal. Janosch says viewing satellite images can’t replace visiting the crime scene.
Through email, he describes getting a feel for the walkways and the distances between the McCann’s apartment and the bar area.
"“Also the psychosocial environment," he says. "What type of people live, work or have holidays there."
Like Chand, he read the 11,000-page case file. Janosch also went a step further and contacted both British and Portuguese police forces, recommending four people he thought should be investigated further.
Lord, please keep reminding us to pray for Madeliene to be found, and found alive and well. Lord please lead the investigations in the right direction.
Maddy disappeared from her apartment bedroom in Praia da Luz, a resort in the Algarve region of Portugal while her parents were not far away eating at an outside restaurant. The family is from England and was vacationing in Portugal when the kidnapping occurred in may, 2007. Maddy was 3 at the time, just days from her 4th birthday.
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| Madeliene at 3 and a computer generated image of her at 9 or 10 |
The London, England-based writer started following the McCann case soon after she disappeared. Chand, a 43-year-old parent of one, says she follows the case out of curiosity — curiosity strong enough to spend months reading 11,000 pages of case files.
What internet investigators lack in tools and training, they make up for in sheer numbers.
The full-time writer and Websleuths member recently finished a novel about a missing girl. Her story, Aida Was Here, features some parallels to Madeleine’s disappearance, but isn't based on the case, she says, citing at least one key difference.
"My girl was found," she says.
Many are thinking of the victims' relatives, says Tricia Griffith, co-owner of Websleuths. She says even if police have stopped investigating, some good comes out of keeping cold cases alive.
"Just knowing that somebody else cares means a great deal to the families," she says.
And occasionally, web sleuthing does turn into something tangible.
In December, five people disappeared when their plane crashed into a snowy Idaho mountainside. After official searches were suspended, family members made a personal appeal to the forum, asking users to search for the wreck through satellite images.
On Jan. 10, thanks in part to the crowd-sourced effort to click through mostly empty swaths of snow, the plane was located. Though the passengers didn't survive the crash, the online community offered closure when a real-life search team couldn't.
But not all web sleuthing ends positively.
In April 2013, members of the social news website Reddit attempted to track down the Boston Marathon bombers. Users named 22-year-old Brown University student Sunil Tripathi — who had gone missing a month before the bombings— as a possible perpetrator.
Before it became clear he had nothing to do with the incident, a Facebook page set up to locate Tripathi had already been filled with accusations. The family soon suspended the page to avoid harassment.
Outside the forum, however, some people go to great lengths to attempt to assist official investigations.
 |
| Heriberto Janosch, based in Spain, has a personal blog devoted to solving the McCann case. He stands in front of the room rented by Madeleine McCann's family |
Heriberto Janosch has a personal blog devoted to solving the McCann case. Based in Spain, the 56-year-old has degrees in both psychology and criminology, and has paid out of his own pocket three times to travel to Praia da Luz, Portugal. Janosch says viewing satellite images can’t replace visiting the crime scene.
Through email, he describes getting a feel for the walkways and the distances between the McCann’s apartment and the bar area.
"“Also the psychosocial environment," he says. "What type of people live, work or have holidays there."
Like Chand, he read the 11,000-page case file. Janosch also went a step further and contacted both British and Portuguese police forces, recommending four people he thought should be investigated further.
Lord, please keep reminding us to pray for Madeliene to be found, and found alive and well. Lord please lead the investigations in the right direction.
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