WEB SLEUTHS IS NOT WEBSLEUTHS.COM/NETFLIX CONFUSION

[Tricia]

The new Netflix show Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel dives into the case of Elisa Lam. Lam was found dead in one of the water tanks on top of the hotel.

The director Joe Berlinger used the term "Web Sleuths" instead of the term amateur sleuths or Internet sleuths to describe trolls who bullied a man named Pablo Vergara.

People are now confusing the term web sleuths with our trademarked name of Websleuths aka www.websleuths.com

We had nothing to do with the bullying of Mr. Vergara.
Our hearts go out to Mr. Vergara. Bullying of this nature is absolutely unacceptable and is never allowed on the Websleuths forum. We are in the process of reaching out to Mr. Vergara to see if he would like to come on our podcast and discuss what has happened to him and help him get his story out.

Thank you,
Tricia Griffith
Owner/Websleuths.com
triciastruecrimeradio@gmail.com

 

[10ofRods]

I just want to say that the documentary was overall very exploitative and it was as if they wanted to involve us, here at Websleuths, with what happened.

Fortunately, Pablo C. Vergara is now doing pretty well as a filmmaker.

But I think a lot of people would naturally see that documentary as "Websleuths.com was responsible" due to the way the filmmakers wrote it and spoke it.

Mr. Vergara is on FB and I think it would be **great** to hear him on your youtube channel!

 

[Cataloger]

I wouldn't have searched for you and joined this legitimate organization otherwise - so I am grateful to the series for the misnomer, although of course I understand that they got their wires crossed.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

I think Netflix lifted a Websleuth member’s post and showed part of it in the third episode. They somewhat blurred the name but I could tell who it was. Did anyone else notice?

 

[Etilema]

Yeah, I am seriously bothered by their continual use of that term, knowing how careful this forum is to AVOID connecting innocent people to crimes.

 

[Fukiyama]

Too late to send a cease and desist letter?

 

[cujenn81]

I watched this documentary series on Thursday and was really frustrated with the repeated use of “web sleuths” ...ugh!

And, for all their condemnations, the creators certainly had no problem playing up the very garbage that many of those not-websleuth YouTubers were propagating — for no other reason than to prolong the series.

 

[root661]

I watched it as well and aside from the misuse of "Websleuths" (which was horrible), it wasn't a very good documentary at all. I normally really like these and had been eagerly waiting for it, but I gave it a thumbs down on Netflix and I never do that. It just wasn't done well.

 

[TobyWong*]

They can go back and scrub that term off the video or dub it over w the term "internet sleuths" they do stuff like that all the time. It totally sounds like they are referring to us here. I was really put off by that knowing the good we have done here to keep our reputaion in tact. Its a daily struggle for our moderators and Tricia to seperate us from everything eles out there. I wouldnt have minded if the commentators didnt make it sound like we were at fault or somehow looked down on for the sleuthing we do. When i say we i mean the whole family here as a collective.

 

[DarkChii]

I think Netflix lifted a Websleuth member’s post and showed part of it in the third episode. They somewhat blurred the name but I could tell who it was. Did anyone else notice?

Yeah, I recognized a screen cap of the site around 4:07-4:09 mark, in the second episode where you can see its the Websleuths site and some member names. I haven't watched much yet, just started episode 2 before popping on here. No wonder my daughter was asking if I was familiar with it.

*edit* Looked around and the cap is directly from the top of the Elsa Lam forum.

 

[rowan2u]

Absolutely, Netflix Shows Quick Glimpse of Elise Lam Webslueths Section in Video Threads. What I'm not seeing is any distinction between Websleuths and The General Term of Internet Sleuths, in regard to the Bullying and Deflamatory Attacks that Proceeded Once Morbid was Singled Out.

 

[drama_farmer]

Short of a Cease and Desist, they should add an onscreen disclaimer at the end of each episode that the generic term " web sleuths" is not affiliated with the online true crime forum WebSleuths.com

 

[TGIRecovered]

I think that a letter from a lawyer demanding a retraction, correction and public apology is in order...Project Veritas style. Any “Retracto - the Correction Alpaca” fans with me?

Tricia, you could call it a Boo-boo- the Correction Cat! You could have a cute little song to go with it and attract some more viewers for your YouTube channel.

This could be the start of a new tradition: holding media accountable for mis-characterization or impersonation of Websleuths. MOO

ETA On second thought, maybe it would be better to call it Boo-Boo the Oopsie Kitty. Wouldn’t want to step on any cute little alpaca toes.

 

[TGIRecovered]

I watched this documentary series on Thursday and was really frustrated with the repeated use of “web sleuths” ...ugh!

And, for all their condemnations, the creators certainly had no problem playing up the very garbage that many of those not-websleuth YouTubers were propagating — for no other reason than to prolong the series.

They used so many different snippets of YouTuber’s comments that I wouldn’t be surprised if they took some out of context or spliced the comments in between theories of the filmmaker to make it seem as though the commenters were on the same page.

 

[truecrimehotline]

Completely agree that the documentary was a huge mess. I nearly turned it off multiple times because it really seemed so poorly put together and was also wildy exaggerating the story of a girl who clearly just needed some help. They would have been better off making a film specifically about the history of the hotel which I'm sure is a much more interesting and needed story.