A new Facebook group with members from across the globe is working to track down the Stockton serial killer.
The group has been active for less than a week and it already has more than 2,600 members.
The creator, Renee Myers, said apart from being an investigative tool, the group is an outlet for a community she said is in fear.
The group has theories about Stockton's serial killer, details on recent shootings in the Central Valley, and even messages from some of the victims' family members. It’s a Facebook group looking for justice
“You have people that are contributing toward the investigation trying to put pieces of this puzzle together from within our own town, from across our city, from across our state and country as well as now from across the world,” said Myers.
She created the page last week and already has thousands of members contributing their knowledge to help police catch the person who killed one man in Oakland and then shot six others in Stockton, leaving only one survivor.
Myers said in just the last two days she’s submitted more than half a dozen tips to Stockton police.
“Some of them involve concerning things that have been said on the page, things that they witnessed in the community, people that have aroused their suspicion,” said Myers.
Investigators confirm they are working with Myers and said they’ve discussed safety measures, misinformation and the possibility of the killer participating in the group's conversations.
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An unsettling and disturbing thought for Myers.
“But I have to myself push those feelings aside that I have and some of the anxiousness I have about that for the greater good because I believe in this page so much,” said Myers.
Internet expert and professor of law Eric Goldman says social media has played a big role in recent cases like the investigations into the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C., and the Gabby Petito murder.
“There was just his nationwide hunt for both Gabby and her fiancé and the online communities were able to gather and share information that really ultimately broke the case,” said Goldman.
And that’s exactly what everyone in this group and law enforcement are hoping for -- a lead or a tip that’ll break the case.
“To bring peace and light back into a community that desperately needs it,” said Myers.
Both experts and police mentioned concerns over people throwing out possible suspect names, but Myers says there’s administrators watching the group 24/7 and making sure all of the rules are being followed.
