Found Deceased OH - Joey LaBute, 26, Columbus, 4 March 2016 #1

[Rstlne]

The one I found Joey on was not Grindr, it was Scruff. AFAIK Scruff users can't be pinpointed to their exact location.

Um that's absolutely how they list the guys, based on location from you.. The closer the guys the closer to the top of the page they are... I am absolutely positive I remember seeing Joey logged in on Scruff that night... And based on how far he was away from me, Union would fit he distance at the time I saw him.

 

[CARIIS]

There are many recent articles about there being a glitch in the Grindr app in which users can manipulate their own locations to obtain the exact location of other users.

BBM
"Grindr is a geosocial networking application geared towards gay, bisexual, and bi-curious men. The app makes use of the device's geolocation, which allows users to locate other men within close proximity. This is accomplished through a user interface that displays a grid of representative pictures of men, arranged from nearest to farthest away. (...) The largest and most popular gay mobile app community in the world currently available in 192 countries."
(en.wikipedia.org)

2-14-16
Grindr has been informed independently by different people about issues in their system, allowing anyone find out the exact position of their users.
Grindr has been informed several times again, sometimes they responded, most of they time they did not.
They have been aware of this issues since minimum March and took no action.

https://grindrmap.neocities.org

All those things that track one give me the creeps!!

 

[CARIIS]

Yea I wondered about Grinder. I imagine a lot of people had the app and had it open in that area on that night. Late night, bars are about to close and you haven't found anybody yet (or in Joey's case you said "byeee" to a date who was a dud), so you look to see who is around, send out a few messages to the ones who look OK, and go from there. I feel like this is something police know about though and would have checked by now? It has been a few weeks. Grinder would cooperate with police in this situation. They should have had a lead by now.

Of course if somebody CAN see his location and was there nearby, they easily just could have scanned the bar and found him without messaging him. It is highly possible he was slipped something and he went willingly with that person. It would also explain why he didn't go back to his table and let them know where he was going. Geez it is scary. Whatever happend, if there is a person out there responsible, that person is just sitting there waiting for dust to settle and it could happen again.

And if I haven't said it before, I am so freaked out by the dating apps and social media. I have young kids. Is it OK for me to hope that this stuff just falls off of the face of the planet in the next 10 years?!

Thats funny I just read your post after my last one!! I so agree its messed up think domestic violence.........

 

[Mayor Perk]

Rstine...I would share seeing Joey on Scruff with CPD. Especially since it was right around the time he disappeared.

 

[CARIIS]

I live in the next suburb over from him and he was on Grindr regularly. We chatted a few times on there a few months back. Thank you for contacting CPD. I debated if I should share the Grindr angle with them as well. There's a good chance he was on Grindr that night chatting with people at or near Union.

CAUTION: You have been warned! This place can be wildly addictive welcome !!!!!

 

[CARIIS]

I live just a few blocks from Union and 100% remember seeing Joey logged in on Scruff around midnight - 1ish. Also, I can't remember if Joey has an iPhone or not, but has anyone from his family simply tried the "find my iPhone" feature? You can log in on any apple device provided they know his Apple i.d and password

If one does that does it give an address? Can it be disabled? Is it only that type of phone or do all cell phones do that these days? Can it do if the battery is low? Would it work in water?

 

[cwosigns]

If one does that does it give an address? Can it be disabled? Is it only that type of phone or do all cell phones do that these days? Can it do if the battery is low? Would it work in water?

It doesn't give an address; it shows a location on a map, as well as battery level of the device. It can only be disabled if you know the user's Apple ID and password. It will work so long as the phone is on, but obviously if the battery is dead it won't work. I have to find my mother-in-law's phone all the time this way because she is always losing it.

 

[Rstlne]

Rstine...I would share seeing Joey on Scruff with CPD. Especially since it was right around the time he disappeared.

I have thought about it, however, my hesitation is that because it showed the distance he was from me at that moment, I'm assuming it was Union... But the fact is he could have been anywhere in the radius of the distance it listed. Does that make sense? I realize it's confusing, I just know for an absolute fact that he was on scruff shortly after midnight the night he disappeared.

 

[osu]

Here's an article written by the CEO of the SCRUFF app. It seems that all GPS location based apps can be pinpointed to the users location.


"The privacy and security of location-based apps has become a major concern for smartphone users around the globe. Recent headlines say it all: “Tinder flaw left users vulnerable.” “Grindr security glitch exposes gay users in Uganda, Russian Kremlin.” As the CEO of SCRUFF, one of the largest gay dating apps in the world, I take these reports seriously. While there are measures we have taken to protect our community, it’s critical that all users understand the benefits and limitations intrinsic to location-based apps."

"The most important thing you should know about location-based apps is this: Any app that shows relative distance between members can be used to pinpoint your location."

~snip


Privacy, Security and GPS-Based Apps: An Inside Look From SCRUFF
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-silverberg/security-location-and-the_b_5793216.html

 

[Momoffourboys]

I have thought about it, however, my hesitation is that because it showed the distance he was from me at that moment, I'm assuming it was Union... But the fact is he could have been anywhere in the radius of the distance it listed. Does that make sense? I realize it's confusing, I just know for an absolute fact that he was on scruff shortly after midnight the night he disappeared.

Absolutely...call it in! Something that seems insignificant may be THE tip.

 

[osu]

Absolutely...call it in! Something that seems insignificant may be THE tip.

I agree! CPD needs to be contacting these apps developers ASAP for any location info they could provide. They may be able to track him to his last known location before his phone went dead or was turned off.

 

[bighairdontcare]

I have thought about it, however, my hesitation is that because it showed the distance he was from me at that moment, I'm assuming it was Union... But the fact is he could have been anywhere in the radius of the distance it listed. Does that make sense? I realize it's confusing, I just know for an absolute fact that he was on scruff shortly after midnight the night he disappeared.

Refresh my memory- about what time did he disappear? He was on the app after he was last seen? Just trying to make a mental timeline.


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[nerosleuth]

"The most important thing you should know about location-based apps is this: Any app that shows relative distance between members can be used to pinpoint your location."

Does the location based apps also show the latitude and longitude as well?

I have heard that if you post your personal pictures from your pc at home on a social media website, a predator with pc smarts can find the latitude and longitude of where you live.

 

[anonypotomous]

Does the location based apps also show the latitude and longitude as well?

I have heard that if you post your personal pictures from your pc at home on a social media website, a predator with pc smarts can find the latitude and longitude of where you live.

Many people don't realize that their geotagging is activated on Instagram. Some people I know have posted photos from their home and if you click on the "tag" symbol on their Instagram account a map shows up where all of the photos were taken. Right down to the exact address. It's scary. I was new to IG and had no idea until a friend told me. When I saw my home was on the map, I was pretty freaked out and changed it immediately. Even if you don't add a location manually, if the geotag settings are not off, then ALL of your photos will be mapped.

 

[nerosleuth]

There are also TONS of small alley ways in the surrounding neighborhoods- campus, Italian village, Victorian village , short north area..... I am not exactly sure what perimeter the search covered.

Were there any construction activity going on in the area between where Joey's car was parked and where he was last seen at the bar on North High Street?

I happen to remember that there were construction going on near the bar where Brian Shaffer disappeared in 2006.

 

[osu]

Does the location based apps also show the latitude and longitude as well?

I have heard that if you post your personal pictures from your pc at home on a social media website, a predator with pc smarts can find the latitude and longitude of where you live.

I think your location shows up on a map and the app can pinpoint it very closely...within feet of where you are.

The pic below shows an example of how it works with the Grindr app.



http://roygbiv.jezebel.com/tracking-guys-via-grindr-is-really-easy-and-grindr-doe-1681615224

 

[Mayor Perk]

I have thought about it, however, my hesitation is that because it showed the distance he was from me at that moment, I'm assuming it was Union... But the fact is he could have been anywhere in the radius of the distance it listed. Does that make sense? I realize it's confusing, I just know for an absolute fact that he was on scruff shortly after midnight the night he disappeared.

Yes, definitely makes sense. Grindr/Scruff are radial so Joey could have been on the opposite end of the radius from you but that's extremely doubtful given that we know he was at or near Union at that time and you say that's almost the exact distance from where you live to Union.


And yes, there is some construction activity near where Joey parked his car that night. One of the likely walking routes from Union to his car would have taken him by a rather large construction site for an assisted living facility.

While there are plenty of alleys in the Short North/Vic Village neighborhoods, these areas are also densely populated and the weather has been nice the past couple of weeks with plenty of people out and about. The "I'm driving" phone call (which I can't find anywhere in local media) makes me think he left the area.

 

[bighairdontcare]

Were there any construction activity going on in the area between where Joey's car was parked and where he was last seen at the bar on North High Street?

I happen to remember that there were construction going on near the bar where Brian Shaffer disappeared in 2006.

No... I do not believe there was any construction in the area. I'm prone to thinking he had to be accompanied by someone. It's possible he may have knew this person... Maybe not well ...but enough to trust that person. Being intoxicated, he probably did not have the best judgment. I can speak from experience. So there are many factors . I just think that maybe he was familiar with the person, which would have made it easier to lure him away...


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[bighairdontcare]

No... I do not believe there was any construction in the area. I'm prone to thinking he had to be accompanied by someone. It's possible he may have knew this person... Maybe not well ...but enough to trust that person. Being intoxicated, he probably did not have the best judgment. I can speak from experience. So there are many factors . I just think that maybe he was familiar with the person, which would have made it easier to lure him away...


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Forgive me ... Apparently there was some construction. Hope they would have searched that thoroughly


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[Mayor Perk]

http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/goodale-landing

This construction project is about 1/2 block from where I believe he parked his car.