Mexico Mexico - Jenny Chen, 26, Oaxaca, 11 April 2016 #1

[fridaybaker]

I understand where you are coming from about the possibility of a hoax, Wendy. I remember you posted earlier wondering about her FB being manipulated. Although I don't think that's what is going on in this case, because her photos in Mexico seem genuine, and I do believe she went there, it's not that farfetched to wonder about it. Anyone can set up a FB page and pretend to be someone else.

I just spent the evening on a FB page I know is fake. Let's say the name of the fake person is Charles and the name of the person who set up the fake page is Jerry. I've kept an eye on Jerry for several years in connection with a murder I believe he knows about. Charles just started posting on Jerry's page last September. Jerry was having serious problems with some people and Charles was posting that he was bringing a bunch of tough friends to take care of things for Jerry. I could tell by the name in the URL that Jerry had used this account previously under a different name for role-playing...with lots of studly photos of his alter ego. Now he's using it to post wildly complimentary posts about himself on his own page! The praise is over the top. Jerry is a narcissist IMO.

There are lots of photos on the fake Charles page of a very buff guy who clearly travels a lot and has fancy toys. He even posted photos of his "son and dil" and "nephew and his wife." What I did this evening is use Google Images to check the source of the photos. I struck out with all the photos of Charles and friends. I don't know where Jerry is getting them. But his "son and dil" photo was lifted from a website showing Halloween costume photos from over 10 years ago (they went as bikers). His "nephew and wife" were a soldier killed in Afghanistan and his fiancée! Charles has many friends in common with Jerry and they are totally swallowing this fakery.

My point is that faking a FB page is not that hard. Jerry is average even though he thinks he's a genius. I just think it would be too easy to check Jenny's. Also, I think if JR had faked it, he would have commented or liked her posts more. But I will take a look at some of her photos with Google Images tomorrow. If anyone knows a better way of tracking down the origin of FB photos, let me know. I really want to know who Charles is!

Lilibet, brilliant idea about using Google to check photos!

 

[fridaybaker]

You are very kind and compassionate, roses. What you wrote is a good reminder not to evaluate the actions of others through the lens of what I would do...or hope I would do!

If I could give advice to the family of a missing person, one thing I would say is that if you don't communicate well, for whatever reason, delegate the online presence to someone you trust who can be an effective mouthpiece for you. Not everyone is cut out for the rigors of FB. It's so important to have a thick skin, answer reasonable questions, accept suggestions gratefully and be clear with known facts. I've seen it done very well (Leanne Beardon's husband, Hannah Thomas-Garner's Dad) and I've seen disasters that didn't need to happen. JR is somewhere in the middle, and could have used help other than CN. But it's all too easy to say coulda, shoulda, woulda from where I sit. I hope and pray JR can get the information he needs and find Jenny. It's probably just as well he's quiet right now!

Lilibet, you bring up what is always difficult: Balancing the "what would a person generally do/behave", since these things often can give insight into a case, with the reality that we are all individuals, and have our own personalities, demeanors, cultural experiences, etc. "Odd" behavior can and has, in many cases, pointed the way, but has at other times led LE astray, such as in the Lindy Chamberlain case. I suppose the real challenge is finding the balance and weighing it all, while always keeping the possiblities open.

And: The very fact that "we" are here on Websleuths, says something. There is a commonality among us and that, in and of itself, can belie our own propensity to view others, who've never found themselves on a sleuthing website, as odd. Just some thoughts.

Sorry if this doesn't make sense -just tired right now.

 

[jbelle]

So, this morning I ran some of Jenny's FB photos through Google Images, as I mentioned I would do. The more nondescript ones are not from another source. The photos of Jenny show up in articles about her, of course. So I do believe her FB page is legit. I didn't have doubts, but it seemed smart to check.

Google Images (which you have to launch in Chrome or Foxfire) is really good for finding obscure articles about Jenny in different languages. Apologies if this one has been posted before. I read an English translation, which didn't carry over when I copied the link, but the point is that it appears that official phone numbers for missing persons were listed at the end of this article, dated April 29. Did JR switch to RR when he felt Oaxaca LE dropped the ball?

Por lo anterior, se solicita el apoyo y colaboración de la ciudadanía, para dar a conocer cualquier información a través del lada sin costo 01 800 00 77628 o al teléfono móvil 044 951 164 6434.
Pueden enviar informes a los correos electrónicos: nolocalizados@pgjoaxaca.gob.mx,
: nolocalizados@gmail.com, @VFGO_victimas
También dirigirse al edificio “Álvaro Carrillo” primer nivel, Unidad de Búsqueda de Personas no Localizadas (DNOL) en Ciudad Judicial, Reyes Mantecón, San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca

http://www.nvinoticias.com/nota/8472/buscan-joven-estadunidense

For anyone who wants to find lots of articles about Jenny, here are the instructions I followed to use Google Images. I had to do this on my seldom used laptop instead of my iPad.

http://m.wikihow.com/Reveal-a-Fake-Facebook-Account

Very smart to check Lilibet, it really is so easy to fake an account. Most social media sites now even have it where you can set your updates/pics to post at pre-set times and you can put down any location you want.
I too wondered about her Facebook, not so much that Jenny's account was fake, but more if all the posts were actually posted by Jenny herself.

For future reference, I love image searches, I use a few different ones because I will get different results sometimes between them. One will say I found nothing, then another image search will have hits.
Also, I have flipped photos in photoshop horizontally (left becomes right, right becomes left) and gotten many hits on a pic where I previously had none. I think fakers use the flip trick to avoid hits on the photos they have stolen online.
Just some info for for those unfamiliar with the searches, sorry if it's a bit off topic. I hope it's OK to add a link on the image searches, I found it very useful! (if not I am sorry, and please remove)

Best Reverse Image Search Engines, Apps And Its Uses (2016)

http://beebom.com/reverse-image-search-engines-apps-uses/

 

[Lilibet]

Lilibet, you bring up what is always difficult: Balancing the "what would a person generally do/behave", since these things often can give insight into a case, with the reality that we are all individuals, and have our own personalities, demeanors, cultural experiences, etc. "Odd" behavior can and has, in many cases, pointed the way, but has at other times led LE astray, such as in the Lindy Chamberlain case. I suppose the real challenge is finding the balance and weighing it all, while always keeping the possiblities open.

And: The very fact that "we" are here on Websleuths, says something. There is a commonality among us and that, in and of itself, can belie our own propensity to view others, who've never found themselves on a sleuthing website, as odd. Just some thoughts.

Sorry if this doesn't make sense -just tired right now.

Good post. It makes perfect sense. Personally, I think following cases on WS can cause a little cynicism about people, which I try to counteract with my natural desire to give someone the benefit of the doubt. It is definitely a juggling act. Some people seem to set off those hinky meters, but they're innocent, while guilty ones can stonewall so that it's hard to read them.

Yes, poor Lindy Chamberlain definitely needed a PR person!! On the other hand, the first time I saw the boyfriend of Stephanie Warner and his son interviewed (my signature case), I knew beyond a doubt that Lennie Ames had killed her. It took two years for LE to have enough evidence to name him as a suspect, and now, three years later on July 4, they are still looking for Stephanie's body and/or enough evidence for an arrest. Sorry for the OT, but bringing it back to Jenny, we only have JR's written responses on FB, or written interviews, which strike some of us as odd. An actual video interview would probably show JR to be an odd duck, but sincerely doing his best to find Jenny.
JMO

 

[LisaWL7TR]

I do hope that Jenny is found safe!!! I really liked reading the way she saw the world. Unfortunately from her postings and actions with her phone and her and his interactions during her away time...well I just think she chose to get away from her home in the US and with JR to reflect. Maybe the meet up in Mexico would have been time away kind of a honeymoon(much like when as an air force wife our hubby comes home after a long tdy)!
I just want her safe! As I do wonder what will happen if she is found and deceased. I think JR will feel obligated to bring her home with him as her husband. I also think her parents would want to bring her back to China and with the language barrier...it is sad.
Jenny, I hate that you went alone out into this scary world and I pray that you have been as creative with your talking as you are with writing and you are safe and enjoying your freedom this holiday. Sadly, I'm not so sure. sigh

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[Lilibet]

Very smart to check Lilibet, it really is so easy to fake an account. Most social media sites now even have it where you can set your updates/pics to post at pre-set times and you can put down any location you want.
I too wondered about her Facebook, not so much that Jenny's account was fake, but more if all the posts were actually posted by Jenny herself.

For future reference, I love image searches, I use a few different ones because I will get different results sometimes between them. One will say I found nothing, then another image search will have hits.
Also, I have flipped photos in photoshop horizontally (left becomes right, right becomes left) and gotten many hits on a pic where I previously had none. I think fakers use the flip trick to avoid hits on the photos they have stolen online.
Just some info for for those unfamiliar with the searches, sorry if it's a bit off topic. I hope it's OK to add a link on the image searches, I found it very useful! (if not I am sorry, and please remove)

Best Reverse Image Search Engines, Apps And Its Uses (2016)

http://beebom.com/reverse-image-search-engines-apps-uses/

BBM

Oooooh thanks for the link, jbelle! I feel like a kid in a candy store! This is very useful information for sleuthers. I never thought about the image being flipped. I will play around on this with the fake FB page of "Charles" that I mentioned earlier. Do you happen to know if it's still possible to tell if both FB pages are coming from the same person? That was discovered by a WSer with the Jerry and Charles FB pages over two years ago, but I don't know how she did it, or if it's still a possibility.

So, based on your first paragraph, if someone has access to Jenny's FB account, they could set up the photos to post on chosen days with a pre-written caption. That way, it's not a fake account, but Jenny is not the one posting. Theoretically, photos taken earlier before someone was "disappeared" could be posted later to make it appear that they were alive when they weren't. I DO NOT think JR did this, but it's interesting in a diabolical sort of way that it could be done. Creepy, actually. And it's conceivable that someone she encountered in Mexico could have done this with photos she took, especially if she left her FB page open and didn't log out. I don't believe it did happen, because she talked to her family April 9 IIRC, but it's horrifying to see how technology can play tricks on us if the wrong person uses it.
JMO

 

[LisaWL7TR]

Does anyone remember that girl that posted pics of herself into European? pics from her home in the u.s.a few years ago? Her family truly believed she was there on vacation.


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[rosesfromangels]

Jenny's family should be blogging on all these major travel sites in China, talking about Jenny's missing status. They should get as many newspaper interviews as possible...and most of all...they should make sure the Mexican authorities are aware they are spreading this story far and wide. Money talks folks.....

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2015-02/16/content_19599481.htm

 

[LisaWL7TR]

Jr did update on the help find Jenny fb page that he has been quiet as this was the week Jenny was suppose to finish her trip and was expected to return home this weekend. Sad.

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[LisaWL7TR]

Jr did update on the help find Jenny fb page that he has been quiet as this was the week Jenny was expected to return home.

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Shoot. I went to check to make sure I had everything right as I am on my phone and old and I don't see the post. It was 3 hours old when I first saw it a little bit ago.

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[LisaWL7TR]

Shoot. I went to check to make sure I had everything right as I am on my phone and old and I don't see the post. It was 3 hours old when I first saw it a little bit ago.

Sent from my SCH-I545

Ok it is there now....weird. I think I am getting senile or it is pass my bedtime or both.

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[Lilibet]

I see JR's comment, Lisa. I'm sure it's a very hard time for him.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/helpfindjenny/permalink/635569106618137/

There is a very good suggestion by RF to go higher up while he waits on the Corona thing and talk directly to the Minister of the Interior whose name is Osorio Chong. He has Asian features and is apparently part Chinese. His position is the most important in the cabinet. He is responsible for interior security, and he has the power to devote resources to finding Jenny, according to the poster.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/hel...d=635578283283886&comment_tracking={"tn":"R"}

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Ángel_Osorio_Chong

This would be a good task for JR's attorney who has political connections. Can't hurt. Might help.

 

[LisaWL7TR]

I see JR's comment, Lisa. I'm sure it's a very hard time for him.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/helpfindjenny/permalink/635569106618137/

There is a very good suggestion by RF to go higher up while he waits on the Corona thing and talk directly to the Minister of the Interior whose name is Osorio Chong. He has Asian features and is apparently part Chinese. His position is the most important in the cabinet. He is responsible for interior security, and he has the power to devote resources to finding Jenny, according to the poster.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/hel...d=635578283283886&comment_tracking={"tn":"R"}

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Ángel_Osorio_Chong

This would be a good task for JR's attorney who has political connections. Can't hurt. Might help.

I guess that may be someone her parents didn't talk to during their time in Mexico. It seems very frustrating at times to find missing people here in the U.S. but even more so in Mexico.

It is sad that Jenny wont be with family or friends this holiday. This is definitely a family holiday weekend for us since we are retired military. This may be the first fourth of July that we won't all be together but I am thankful for the years we have had celebrating as a family. I am sad for the families that are missing loved ones this holiday, some have returned from missing and I hope more return home this long weekend to their loved ones.

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[Lilibet]

I see JR's comment, Lisa. I'm sure it's a very hard time for him.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/helpfindjenny/permalink/635569106618137/

There is a very good suggestion by RF to go higher up while he waits on the Corona thing and talk directly to the Minister of the Interior whose name is Osorio Chong. He has Asian features and is apparently part Chinese. His position is the most important in the cabinet. He is responsible for interior security, and he has the power to devote resources to finding Jenny, according to the poster.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/hel...d=635578283283886&comment_tracking={"tn":"R"}

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miguel_Ángel_Osorio_Chong

This would be a good task for JR's attorney who has political connections. Can't hurt. Might help.

Quoting myself go follow up, CN pretty much throws cold water on this idea because she doesn't like Chung, although she says she will ask the PI who is working incredibly hard. RF presents good reasons for contacting Chung in rebuttal, while complimenting their efforts.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/hel...=635652566609791&comment_tracking={"tn":"R0"}

 

[Satchie]

From her social media, I sense Jenny was an especially alive, curious, vibrant human. That's not something that can be 'faked': any more than a florist can trick a bride by supplying plastic roses.

It has been too long without contact -if she had been merely in a 'situation', she would have gotten a word out to someone, somehow.

I believe she has gone to that undiscovered country from which no traveller returns.

I think she, full of youthful goodwill and belief in the brother/sisterhood of mankind, fell into the hands of someone who saw only a vulnerable foreigner to exploit.

I feel very grieved about the direction this thread has taken. Do people not understand the danger when a solo female gets into a vehicle with a stranger? Why do so many other fanciful scenarios seem plausible while this obvious, straightforward, no conspiracy or internet trickery required one, is ruled out?

 

[Lilibet]

From her social media, I sense Jenny was an especially alive, curious, vibrant human. That's not something that can be 'faked': any more than a florist can trick a bride by supplying plastic roses.

It has been too long without contact -if she had been merely in a 'situation', she would have gotten a word out to someone, somehow.

I believe she has gone to that undiscovered country from which no traveller returns.

I think she, full of youthful goodwill and belief in the brother/sisterhood of mankind, fell into the hands of someone who saw only a vulnerable foreigner to exploit.

I feel very grieved about the direction this thread has taken. Do people not understand the danger when a solo female gets into a vehicle with a stranger? Why do so many other fanciful scenarios seem plausible while this obvious, straightforward, no conspiracy or internet trickery required one, is ruled out?

I agree that Jenny's naïveté has led to her demise, and have felt that way from the beginning. Respectfully, I don't think anyone has ruled that out in favor of conspiracy or internet trickery. Her parents are said to believe she is still alive, and on many threads it takes some time for the thread as a whole to accept that a disappeared person is actually dead. People have voluntarily disappeared and purposely stayed silent for months on a couple of threads I have followed. Hope springs eternal.

We certainly do understand the danger of a solo female hitchhiking and traveling the way Jenny did. That was addressed early in the thread. But I think most sleuthers are reluctant to give the appearance of blaming the victim by continuing to say that a possible victim did something really unwise. I expect we all believe her whole trip was unwise, but we don't have firm evidence yet that she did hitch a ride. So, when those hypothetical possibilities were raised by some, we have explored how it might have been done, not because they are plausible, but to either debunk them or because the information can be useful in another context. This type of conversation often occurs when there is no solid information to discuss, and I do apologize for any comments I've made that have caused grief to anyone. My hope has always been that Jenny has taken "time out" but give her desire to face her fears by taking risks, I think she paid the ultimate price. And it is a tragedy that someone as joyously alive as Jenny is most likely dead.

 

[LisaWL7TR]

I agree that Jenny's naïveté has led to her demise, and have felt that way from the beginning. Respectfully, I don't think anyone has ruled that out in favor of conspiracy or internet trickery. Her parents are said to believe she is still alive, and on many threads it takes some time for the thread as a whole to accept that a disappeared person is actually dead. People have voluntarily disappeared and purposely stayed silent for months on a couple of threads I have followed. Hope springs eternal.

We certainly do understand the danger of a solo female hitchhiking and traveling the way Jenny did. That was addressed early in the thread. But I think most sleuthers are reluctant to give the appearance of blaming the victim by continuing to say that a possible victim did something really unwise. I expect we all believe her whole trip was unwise, but we don't have firm evidence yet that she did hitch a ride. So, when those hypothetical possibilities were raised by some, we have explored how it might have been done, not because they are plausible, but to either debunk them or because the information can be useful in another context. This type of conversation often occurs when there is no solid information to discuss, and I do apologize for any comments I've made that have caused grief to anyone. My hope has always been that Jenny has taken "time out" but give her desire to face her fears by taking risks, I think she paid the ultimate price. And it is a tragedy that someone as joyously alive as Jenny is most likely dead.

I think everyone here hopes Jenny is still alive! She shared Mexico on her journey for those of us that may never visit. If she did get in that Corona truck she may have not made it out or she tried to escape. We don't know and may never know.
I am usually a very trusting person of all whether they dress in a suit for work, drive a well known company truck or are playing music on the street for donations/tips. All 3 could have a loaded gun and at that time you are at their mercy. As years go by it amazes me how easily someone can take another persons life(babies, teens, and adults)so easily and for stupid reasons.
In a perfect world we should be able to to go out alone and return safely, keep our doors unlocked(well we sometimes forget to lock) etc. sigh.
Find Jenny!
and be safe this holiday weekend!

Sent from my SCH-I545

 

[tlcya]

Time for Thread #2. Please move on over. This one will close in a few minutes.