Facebook Proving Useful In Solving Crimes
ROUND LAKE PARK, Ill. (CBS/WBBM) -- Police in Round Lake Park credited Facebook with leading them to the body of missing mother Melissa Ann Best, and the social networking site is becoming increasingly popular for law enforcement is their quest to solve cases.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Mary Frances Bragiel reports, the FBI set up a Facebook page two years ago, and currently, it has more than 100,000 fans. The FBI Twitter page has more than 150,000 followers.
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FBI Chicago spokesman Ross Rice says the agency understands the value of social networking.
"It started for having another venue for us to reach out to the public," Rice said.
Best's family understood that as well, prompting police in Round Lake Park to look into leads and tips brought into Facebook.
Round Lake Park police chief George Filenko announced Tuesday that the body of Best, 34, had been had been found in the back of her minivan Monday evening in the parking lot of a Grayslake apartment complex. She had been missing for 10 days.
Filenko credited Facebook with leading police to the body.
"We uncovered the information of the location by interviewing people who came forward after they'd seen the information on Facebook," Filenko said.
The FBI has not solved any cases locally using social networking, but Rice says Bandit Tracker Chicago, which posts video for bank robberies, has proven to help considerably in solving those robberies.
