Wanted for 6 years: How amateur detectives endanger investigations

Wanted for 6 years: How amateur detectives endanger investigations

The missing student Rebecca Reusch continues to attract public attention after over six years. The 15-year-old disappeared without a trace on February 18, 2019 after she stayed with her sister Jessica and the brother-in-law Florian R.. Since then, the investigators have assumed a crime, but there is no trace of Rebecca's body. The reviews of the ongoing investigations become louder, not least because of the activities of self-proclaimed hobby detectives who, with their uncoordinated searches, put the official work of the police in danger.

After Rebecca was in the house of her relatives on the night of February 18, it is believed that Florian R. would be giving away her from his apartment in Neukölln. The brother -in -law of the missing person, who is now the focus of the investigation, has already been arrested twice, but the evidence was not sufficient to transfer it as a perpetrator. The matter received special attention from a variety of theories and speculation on social media. Hundreds of videos about Rebecca's disappearance are circulating, including a scandalous video of a YouTuber, where a scene is portrayed in which a man tries to put a person in a trunk. Of course, this staged material does not ensure calm, but rather stirs up mistrust and confusion.

Preparation for possible errors

The Berlin public prosecutor is concerned about the unprofessional missions of the hobby detectives. Sebastian Büchner, spokesman for the authority, warns of the possible dangers that assume the actions. By entering private property and the possible influence of witnesses, the course of the investigation could be endangered. In addition to the police, Wolfgang Reusch, the father of Rebecca, has the hopeful search for several committed citizens on his side who combed the forest near Friedersdorf. These private individuals pursue the traces and references to Rebecca's whereabouts, while the police have already carried out extensive searches in the area of ​​the Wolziger Lake.

Florian R. car rides are also particularly explosive, which were documented shortly after Rebecca's disappearance. A license plate recording camera registered his car on Autobahn 12 towards Poland. While he declares the trips as shopping tours for drugs, there are no sufficient explanations that would be helpful to the investigators. The murder commission's investigation is still in full swing, and the public prosecutor is dissatisfied with the course of the investigation. In addition, there are the missteps by the police, such as the delayed search by Florian R.'s house.

Public interest and digital traces

The public interest in the case is unbroken. Since the day of her disappearance, Rebecca Reusch has been intensively sought by family members and the public who rely on social media to draw attention to their case. More and more users are showing their commitment by sharing videos and reports on the various aspects of the case. This ensures that Rebecca's history is not forgotten, even if the public prosecutor questions the effort of the hobby detectives. In addition to the classic investigations, the authorities are also faced with the digital world, where rumors and theories such as "never stop looking" concept are made popular by international databases who are devoted to the search for missing persons, as on The Suitcase Detective.

To this day, Rebecca Reusch remains one of the many missing people whose fate is uncertain. As the investigation continues, her family members are hoping for answers and evidence that may still be outstanding. The call for caution in the work of amateur detectives is becoming increasingly visible and could close the last gaps in the mystery of Rebecca's disappearance if the public and the justice system continue to work together.