Unsure of where to post this lengthy article about sleuthing, but it has many references to sk Robert Black as well as mentioning Websleuths, Todd Matthews and "Brain Scratch's" John Lordan.
1 Jun 2020
We're 'armchair detectives' investigating grim cold cases from our own homes
''POURING himself a coffee, Chris Clark prepares for another long night of trawling through old newspaper clippings for clues about grisly murders and violent kidnappings.
But Chris isn't a police officer - he's a self-confessed 'armchair detective' who has dedicated his life to solving missing persons cases, hunt killers and investigate decades-old mysteries from the comfort of his own home.''
Chris Clark spends hours pouring through research to help police solve cold casesCredit: Chris Clark
''And he's not alone. There are now streams of online pages, forums and chat rooms dedicated to those wanting to solve cold cases around the world - from Facebook groups through to huge forums like
Websleuths, which has built up hundreds of thousands of members.''
"Tips for armchair detectives
While there's no set rules when it comes to investigating a cold case, amateur sleuth John Lordan has a rough plan he usually sticks to when making his videos.
He says: “Initially I’ll do a media review, going through everything that’s publicly available.
"If there’s any type of police material or statements that have been released, I’ll include all of them too. I’ll usually start without any direct contact with family, before hearing from them.
"People may initially be upset and ask why I didn’t reach out first to ask them about it, but I’ve found information from the family can be the most biased yet."
Todd Matthews agrees and suggests the first step should always be to look through old newspaper articles, gathering all the public information you can together.
Meanwhile, according to an
online Jack The Ripper tour guide, a few simple tips to stick to include paying attention to small details, distancing yourself if you become too invested in the research - as that may cloud your judgement - and being adaptable, catering your research to each individual case rather than following one uniform method.''