In the digital age, almost everything leaves a trace online, providing cyber investigators with an extensive trail to follow in their pursuit of the truth.
The Cat Lover Case
One of the first online cases that exemplifies the impact of armchair detectives is the 2010-2014 case of Luka Magnotta, then-30. He was brought to justice by a group of determined internet sleuths. The people that were tracking him bonded over a shared love of cats.
In 2010 the killer courted internet infamy by circulating videos of himself killing kittens and then feeding one to a python.
For the next 18 months, cyber sleuths tracked all his online activity. Until his crime spree escalated in 2012 when he murdered his lover Lin Jun, a 33-year-old computer engineering student from China. And he brazenly released an online video online of the murder.
As armchair detectives tracked his digital footprint, they uncovered crucial evidence that aided law enforcement in apprehending the perpetrator.
Despite Magnotta’s attempts to evade capture, the cyber investigators working as a group ultimately tracked him down.
