Kathleen Dawn West , a 42 - class - old mamma who lived in Calera , Alabama , wasfound numb in the streetnear her home last workweek . Police , who have classify her death as a homicide , are offer no further details at this time . But that has n’t stopped swarms of recreational sleuths on Facebook from searching through her digital dirty washables for clue — or major news program outlets from come their lead , baselessly suggesting that her last might have something to do with “ gamy picture ” she send online .
Two private Facebook groups created to examine West ’s death , Murder of Kat West Discussion Group ( Official ) and Kat West Murder Discussion , have over 3,000 member combined . The give-and-take provide a litany of conspiracy hypothesis about what happened to West , with stake featuring local rumour , screenshots of her and her family ’s societal medium accounts , and evena blinking photoof the street where she died .
The Facebook users ’ initial interest in West was goad by her apparent social medium accounts , which associate to a subscription - only internet site promising grownup moulding exposure . Since then , topic in the Facebook groups have fall to include a wide range of supposition , clues and updates from both local and out - of - state true crime fiend . Much of this analysis , however , is ultimately spin from the few threads the belated West impart online when she pass .
One member advise West ’s ( proposed ) stalker mutilate her because they have it away her husband was out hunting . Another send a photograph from West ’s married man ’s Instagram invoice of a fleeceable liquor bottle — similar to onedescribed by a witnessas near the offence scene . Another user extract skepticism about the supposition that West was murdered during a competitiveness with her married man , noting that her physical structure was found across the street from their domicile .
The overriding tone of these discussions is a intermixture of lurid interest group and minuscule - town hysteria , with users desperate for clues to inspire or reinforce their own unproved hypothesis . As Sophie Kleemanwrote in recent storyabout local Facebook chemical group for The Outline , “ while the great unwashed may link these chemical group for ‘ community ’ or hyperlocal information , they often stay for the drama . ”
“ Our admins are a group of friends who ’ve always been interested in true crime and an Alabama local posted the petty blurb from her paper that did little more than ID her trunk , ” Ashley , an admin of one of the Facebook groups and who asked to only be identified by her first name , told Gizmodo over Messenger . “ As soon as we searched for her profile , we saw that she was gorgeous , vernal , and had this sorting of salacious two-fold life that she seemed to live reasonably openly , and wondered if the fact that she did n’t separate the two could have been an aid or catalyst in her dying . It was just rum to see so much out there astray open , yet the local newsman fundamentally said nothing . We were all spellbound and we thought that others might be as well . ”
Melissa MacKinnon , also an admin for one of the Facebook groups , told Gizmodo over Messenger that the admins are involved in a expectant group , True Crime Society , a secret social club for the “ criminal offence - obsessed ” that has nearly 2,000 phallus . MacKinnon said that they create disjoined , consecrated pages for “ something that front like it could grow into something bigger , ” remark that West ’s case “ struck us because of her billet of side work , the fact that nobody seemed to hear anything that night and the fact that no news medium or police were talking about it at all . ”
But West ’s case did obtain the common , non - shocking coverage bylocal outletsin the immediate aftermath of her expiry . After the fanatical Facebook groups were created , however , AL.compublished a storycovering the more salacious contingent of West ’s online bearing and the existence of the groups . And on Friday , the Associated Press ran an clause with even more data about West ’s online animation and the Facebook grouping , which was syndicate byThe Washington PostandThe New York Times .
bear the newspaper headline “ Killing of Small - Town Online Exhibitionist Shocks Community , ” the AP account specifies the monthly subscription toll for West ’s “ sexier images ” site and claim police “ are now faced with a enquiry : Did West ’s online activity play a function in her death ? ” But no publicly disclosed evidence or statements from authorities have connected West ’s social media natural action to her killing in any way . need for comment , the Calera Police Department leave Gizmodo witha public information manakin on West ’s face , saying , “ this is the only information we have to give up at this time . ” The report does n’t include any entropy connect the her end to her internet presence , nor does it describe a defendant . At this point , attributing West ’s homicide to provocative pic she share online is pure conjecture at best , and victim shaming at worst .
“ I think her life style is part of who she is , ” an admin of one of the group who asked to speak anonymously said over Messenger . “ You propose to social media what you want known about yourself . As long as someone is n’t tell she deserved to die because of the lifestyle she led , or affect her because of them , we do n’t shy away from them . ” The admin added that victim shaming is n’t permitted in the Facebook groups .
It ’s light that these private Facebook mathematical group offer members with alike interests a space to freely entertain their most ludicrous idea . With West ’s font , law-breaking - obsessed user can feast off each other ’s zealotry , unimpeded by the examination of outside observer . ( For the most part , at least : Multiple situation by users questioning the meat of the “ treatment ” show their authors are no longer members . ) Such groups make Facebook’snew focuson “ construction community ” seem deeply misguided . In a bubble , any suggestive detail is easy mistaken for inviolable proof .
As we know , internet investigations like these can lead to serious , even violent , consequence in existent life . “ Pizzagate , ” the cabal theory that John Podesta and Hillary Clinton were running a child - trafficking ring out of a Washington DC pizza parlor , was chiefly drive by “ citizen police detective ” on 4chan and other internet site . In the end , it root on a 28 - class - old North Carolina man to travel to the pizza parlor andfire a rifle inside the restaurant . And after the Boston battle of Marathon bombardment , internet sleuthstried to identify the bombersby inspecting photo of the crowd . They did — incorrectly — and innocuous man unconnected to the attack were chivy , interrogated by reporters , and even ended upon the cover of The New York Post .
In addition to the risk posed by upgrade rumors and misidentifying suspect , these amateurish investigation can like a shot interfere with actual police inquiries . harmonise to the Shelby County newsman , police claimed on Friday that “ much of the data and guess ” shared by culture medium wall socket and on social medium “ has hindered their investigation ” into West ’s end .
“ Everything is a false theory until the case is solved , ” MacKinnon assure Gizmodo . “ We care to theorize and theorize and talk over those theories and venture . We make it light that they are only speculations and that they are not fact . ”
We have reached out to the Associated Press for comment and will update this storey if and when they respond .
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