Contacting Case Players

[Tricia]

Dear Websleuths Members,

Recently several members have took it upon themselves to contact very minor players in the Anthony case and the Cummings case.

Please keep in mind and understand these poor people are going along minding their business when they get that phone call from you. Even if they know they are a part of the circus it still can shake people up to hear from total strangers asking them questions.

I understand the people contacted by Websleuths Members have been invited to join Websleuths and talk about their situation.


We welcome with open arms people involved who want to post but please remember, if you call someone you are not acting as a representative of Websleuths.com

I have to make myself very clear here. If you choose to contact someone and invite them to join Websleuths you are doing this on your own with no input from the owner.

Please understand, I do appreciate everyone's participation. Every day I come on this board and you all leave me speechless with your ability to find people, to take apart the evidence, and in general figure out what is going on. I bet many times you all figure out what is going on before LE does

We just need to be careful and respect people and their privacy.

Thanks for understanding. I'll leave this thread open for questions or comments.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

I think it is a mistake for anyone besides LE to contact players in any case, but this is just my opinion. We do not know what role they may play as to being minor or major until the end of the case. What risks are people taking by contacting them? I look at it as a safety issue plus it may impede the ongoing investigation.

Of course, we will treat them with respect and welcome them if they find WS then choose to participate.

 

[christine2448]

I think it is a mistake for anyone besides LE to contact players in any case, but this is just my opinion. We do not know what role they may play as to being minor or major until the end of the case. What risks are people taking by contacting them? I look at it as a safety issue plus it may impede the ongoing investigation.

Of course, we will treat them with respect and welcome them if they find WS then choose to participate.

ITA, FWIW. No one has business contacting family, IMO...if they come to us that's different. I always work with LE or authorities.

ETA...this is something I learned, at first I wanted to do anything possible thinking I was helping, learning that it only hurts to take that approach.

 

[Linda7NJ]

ITA, FWIW. No one has business contacting family, IMO...if they come to us that's different. I always work with LE or authorities.

I totally agree!

 

[LFlorida]

It wasn't me.

I don't know them and would never dream of offering up speculation or queries to them. [Lawd, have mercy. That's very rude.] I've not told any locals that I'm even "playing" amateur detective, so hopefully I didn't contribute to this problem, either.

I did, however, forward some info that I had found to local LE.

 

[blubuni99]

Whoa! Did someone really do this? I agree with what everyone said so far - so uncalled for!

 

[not_my_kids]

I have, in the past, called in info to a family tipline, or sent an email of support to a family website, but people are actually calling the families? And asking them questions?

How can people feel that this is okay? Even if I did wear my ovaries that far on the outside, I just can't see myself ever being able to do that. I hope the families, in any case, were smart enough not to say anything.

 

[momtective]

I admit I have left messages (nice ones) on myspace but that's it.I've never contacted a player who was directly involved in any case. I have invited people to WS but only because they too wanted to offer information and help search. I would never dream of calling anyone! Has that really happened? OMG I wonder what they said "Hi, I'm so and so, I'm a member on an internet forum and I was wondering if you could give me some information...." Please tell me it ain't so! :floorlaugh:

 

[SuziQ]

May I also add that it usually is not a good thing to invite an inside player to WS. If they seek us out and want to join in and ask for our help, that's fine. But more often than not they will be offended and hurt by what they read. They are too close to the situation to understand we are a victim advocate site and sleuth for the truth. We aren't asking any more difficult and tough questions than LE is. But IMO, it's a bit much to expect a family member or a close friend to understand and accept this.

JMO of course.

 

[SuziQ]

I think it is a mistake for anyone besides LE to contact players in any case, but this is just my opinion. We do not know what role they may play as to being minor or major until the end of the case. What risks are people taking by contacting them? I look at it as a safety issue plus it may impede the ongoing investigation.

Of course, we will treat them with respect and welcome them if they find WS then choose to participate.

That's so true. I actually had an email convo with Anne Rule about this a couple of years back. My adult daughter and I are fascinated with Ted Bundy's case and there's been an Urban Legend that his family owned property near me. The rumor is that he disposed of some of his victim's there. I wrote to Anne asking her about the rumor and told her I was thinking about checking it out for the heck of it, did she know where this place was. She wrote back that the rumor wasn't true, with a list of reasons not to go to a crime scene even though the crimes had been commited decades before and Bundy was dead. Her emails scared me and left me feeling like...

Anne is a cool lady and we emailed back and forth that day. She's happy to answer questions anyone has.

 

[jaimie43]

Whoa...who does something like that? Thats a little too presumptious IMO.

 

[christine2448]

That's so true. I actually had an email convo with Anne Rule about this a couple of years back. My adult daughter and I are fascinated with Ted Bundy's case and there's been an Urban Legend that his family owned property near me. The rumor is that he disposed of some of his victim's there. I wrote to Anne asking her about the rumor and told her I was thinking about checking it out for the heck of it, did she know where this place was. She wrote back that the rumor wasn't true, with a list of reasons not to go to a crime scene even though the crimes had been commited decades before and Bundy was dead. Her emails scared me and left me feeling like...

Anne is a cool lady and we emailed back and forth that day. She's happy to answer questions anyone has.

You'd be surprised at how many are willing to talk. From authors to ME, FBI to LE.

I have red Ann Rule's book about her relationship with Ted, AMAZING story.

I recently spent a good bit of time on the phone with a lead detective in the Green River Killings. Called about a match, and was but through to him, I almost hung up when I heard his name! Funny, in our conversation he kept complaining about 'internet armchair det's' and how it burns him when he gets calls about a missing and doe on his own webpage and they match, LOL! I had to remind him several times I was one of 'dem, lol. It's all in how you come across and present yourself and your true willingness and desire to solve these cases. ETA: for them, not me.

 

[jnTexas]

I have so wanted to contact the employer of RC just to ask what their shift schedules are (not any info on RC or anyone else). Because I believe He did not work a 12 hr shift. Due to many inconsistancies. I'm to chicken to do that. I know LE is closely watching all of those involved. I would hate to have Le calling wanting to know who, what, where just because I made a nosey call. I just can't believe people would do that. I also would not contact anyone via myspace. Mainly for the safety of my friends in my friends list one of which is my 12 yr old daughter.

 

[SuziQ]

Christine, what an interesting convo you two must have had! I want to talk to FBI Agent Savage.

 

[zadari]

I think it is a mistake for anyone besides LE to contact players in any case, but this is just my opinion. We do not know what role they may play as to being minor or major until the end of the case. What risks are people taking by contacting them? I look at it as a safety issue plus it may impede the ongoing investigation.

Of course, we will treat them with respect and welcome them if they find WS then choose to participate.

i agree none of us unless we are directly involved with this case should be contacting anyone in these cases ..this is my opinion only not meaning to sound snarky if i do

 

[Mermaid]

We all want to know, we all have questions, but in my humble opinion, any phone calls at all (other than legitimate tips) are totally inappropriate. Let's all remember that poor Zenaida Gonzales lost her job due to her employer receiving tons of phone calls with questions. Wrong on sooooo many levels.

 

[Truthwillsetufree]

Wow, I have a hard enough time logging on and staying logged on to the server during congested times, I sure don't want to be invitin' more people. If I just had this overwhelming desire to ask someone to come to WS and tell their story I would ask a Mod or Tricia, I believe that is the chain of command here.

 

[Egoslayer]

I admit I have left messages (nice ones) on myspace but that's it.I've never contacted a player who was directly involved in any case. I have invited people to WS but only because they too wanted to offer information and help search. I would never dream of calling anyone! Has that really happened? OMG I wonder what they said "Hi, I'm so and so, I'm a member on an internet forum and I was wondering if you could give me some information...." Please tell me it ain't so! :floorlaugh:

I was thinking that too ... wtf do you say, I'm an internet investigator ...
Anyone who is that involved in other people's business scares me.

 

[babycat]

I think it is a mistake for anyone besides LE to contact players in any case, but this is just my opinion. We do not know what role they may play as to being minor or major until the end of the case. What risks are people taking by contacting them? I look at it as a safety issue plus it may impede the ongoing investigation.

Of course, we will treat them with respect and welcome them if they find WS then choose to participate.

I agree completely.

 

[my_tee_mouse]

That's so true. I actually had an email convo with Anne Rule about this a couple of years back. My adult daughter and I are fascinated with Ted Bundy's case and there's been an Urban Legend that his family owned property near me. The rumor is that he disposed of some of his victim's there. I wrote to Anne asking her about the rumor and told her I was thinking about checking it out for the heck of it, did she know where this place was. She wrote back that the rumor wasn't true, with a list of reasons not to go to a crime scene even though the crimes had been commited decades before and Bundy was dead. Her emails scared me and left me feeling like...

Anne is a cool lady and we emailed back and forth that day. She's happy to answer questions anyone has.

Rule rules!

I would not dream of contacting anyone associated with an active investigation unless it was a tipline...certainly not individuals.

I believe someone mentioned wanting to call RC's employer re his hours worked. No ethical employer would give out any kind of information about their employees to anyone except an entity with the legal authority to inquire.