As the popularity of social media sleuths grows, Callum Fahim – who tried to solve the cases of Jay Slater and Nicola Bulley – reveals why he does it
Just weeks after Catherine O’Sullivan’s 22-year-old son disappeared, she received her first message via social media from an amateur detective.
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“I know where he is. I know where he is buried.
“I know who killed him,” it said.
“Jack wasn’t actually gone on the date this person mentioned, so I knew straight away it wasn’t true,” says Catherine, 52.
“But it could have been really traumatic if it wasn’t so obvious that they didn’t know anything.”
Jack has been missing since March after a night out with friends in Bristol. His case has attracted the attention of online sleuths eager to share their theories and ‘solve’ the mystery of his unexplained disappearance.
And Catherine’s experience is not unique.
In fact, increasingly high-profile missing persons cases appear to be a magnet for complete strangers.
When mother-of-two Nicola Bulley, 45, disappeared in January 2023 – the only trace of her was a mobile phone found abandoned on a riverside bench and her stray spaniel – social media sleuths descended on St Michael’s on Wyre, the sleepy Lancashire village where she was from.
Police were forced to disperse influencers who took photos and videos at the crime scene.
TikTok was abuzz with armchair detectives spouting theories about what happened, while others searched woods and abandoned buildings, their smartphones recording their hunt.
When Jay Slater, 19, disappeared in June while on holiday in Tenerife, not only was the case widely discussed on social media, but sleuths flew to the island to help hunt him down. Last month, Spain’s Guardia Civil discovered his body in a ravine.
Even afterward, investigators continued to try to access details from the autopsy that had not been released by authorities.
With more than 32,000 followers, TikTok user Callum Fahim from London is one of the people who travelled to Tenerife to help with the search.
“I didn’t know Jay, but I contacted the family and made contacts with people on the island who lived there. We all got together and started looking,” he says.
“We informed the police, but they didn’t want us to get involved.”
Avid walker Callum searched the remote area where Jay had last been, through the scorching heat, for clues to the apprentice mason’s whereabouts.
The search was in vain and Jay’s body was found several days after Callum returned to the UK.
‘I am interested in issues that are difficult to solve’
Jay is not the first missing person Callum has tried to find. “I am interested in cases that are difficult to solve.
“I am not a criminologist or a specialist, just a normal person.
“I did some online research on Madeleine McCann and I also went to the place where Nicola Bulley disappeared, to search,” he says.
There are many who believe that people like Callum should stay away from it and leave it to the professionals, but he is convinced that he can add something valuable to it.
I didn’t know Jay but I reached out to the family and made contact with people on the island who lived there
Callum Fahim
“I have only offered help in areas where I know I can give it 100%, such as planning, map reading and walking. I have never claimed I can do anything else.
“If my search for a missing person would interfere with a criminal investigation, I would obviously stay away from it.
“I would never, ever, ever do anything to jeopardize anyone’s safety.”
Psychologist Emma Kenny says that most people who come to help, like Callum, have good intentions.
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“Usually people do it because it comes from a sense of social responsibility.
“I think people really believe that if they are there, they are more likely to find the missing person.
“Some people also do it because they are distrustful of authority figures – they believe they don’t care as much as they would like.”
Emma warns that not all detectives have the best intentions.
“Some people do it to promote themselves, for clickbait and to gain followers,” she says.
I would never, ever, ever do anything to jeopardize anyone’s return to safety
Callum Fahim
Callum says he has been approached by other families of missing persons in recent weeks.
“A lot of people have contacted me.
“It’s heartbreaking, but I’ll keep doing what I’m doing and trying to help with things where I feel I can make a difference.
“In the past I have self-funded my projects and received money from families who wanted me to help them.
“I’m not trying to be like other TikTok users, who want to be famous.
“If I can help one person, I’m happy.”
But former homicide detective David Swindle says social media sleuths can be incredibly damaging to police investigations.
“Because I am involved in major crime and missing persons investigations, I have always expressed concerns about unqualified so-called experts approaching families and making public statements about ongoing investigations.
“Families desperate for answers are vulnerable and will therefore seek any help they can get.
Unfortunately, this ‘expert’ help is not always reliable.
‘Families desperate for answers are vulnerable, so they will try to use any help they can get’
“People who generate content on social media to promote their own theories in cases such as Nicola Bulley and Jay Slater can hinder ongoing investigations.
“I support the use of social media and podcasts, but it needs to be carefully managed to ensure nothing gets in the way of police work.”
For some families who are stuck in the nightmare of a missing loved one, any help is welcome.
At the time of going to press, Catherine’s son Jack, a history and law graduate now 23, had not been seen since March 2, after leaving a house party.
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Police said his phone was active on the Find My Friends app until 6.44am, but there has been no sign of him, much to the annoyance of his family, who filed a formal complaint against Avon and Somerset Police in June over the way the case was handled.
Since his disappearance, Catherine’s family has created a Facebook community called “Find Jack.” It now has nearly 40,000 members.
While she has received some nasty messages, she is overall grateful for the online community.
“I get in touch every day with people who say they are looking for it themselves, walking the route, going out at different times in the evening and are really committed to helping us.”
As the search for Jack continues, Emma warns that some sleuths are tackling cases without good intentions.
“There are social media users who are only interested in their own interests, including narcissists and even psychopathic people.
“It’s all about them and they don’t think about the consequences of their actions.
“They want to be center stage and the most important person in a story.
“Those are the dangerous ones.”
