Whether the frenzy of attention and internet sleuthing has helped the investigation is not clear, but it has illuminated the intersection between social media and the public's fascination with true-crime stories. Social media users have been fascinated by the case and have been poring over the wealth of online video and photos for clues. "A lot of it has to do with the cross-country journey they were documenting, going on social media on this grand adventure," said Joseph Scott Morgan, a Jacksonville State University professor of forensics and an authority on high-profile murder cases. "It just seemed like an odd case from the beginning and after doing more research and (collaborating) with other people on social media, the case just kept growing and having twists and turns," she said. The deaths of Kylen Schulte and Crystal Turner generated some media coverage but nothing like the Petito case.

Source: The Star September 22, 2021 01:07 UTC