Anyone else following this disappearance story?

[DualvansMommy]

The college student you are referring to is Jelani Day, he is from here (small city in IL), my friend was the one who reported him missing as he was supposed to meet with her in the SLP clinic. (I linked the story in this thread). I too feel because he is black and male it is not getting the publicity that stories like Gabby. NO missing person should get "favorable" coverage and it's all horrible, but I agree, if she wasn't blond and pretty I'm not sure we would have heard much about it.

His family and friends are pleading for more media attention, they have tried contacting every news outlet.

I had the same question as essence too. Pretty sick of the coverage, and i really feel for her family. Cannot even imagine what they’re going through, especially at the recent development body found is likely to be her body. But i am so sick of how only white, attractive, and young people get more coverage. It’s like this in anything with murders, missing, and rapes. The missing male from IL count too!


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[carolinacool]

I also have been wondering about that. Is it because they were documenting everything on social media and YouTube? Do they have actual followers beyond just family and friends? Otherwise, I don’t really get it, either.

[MSWR0319]

Yeah, this has come up a lot in stories I've read too. Is it what you suggested? Or did her family do something differently to garner attention? Is it because they crossed multiple states so it was in the news in multiple states vs just one? Is it more sensational because they were lovers and traveling together?

I was thinking about this the other day and thought perhaps it was because they were traveling on this big cross country trip, were lovers, and the guy just returned home without mentioning to anyone anything about her missing. I then assumed that her parents just managed somehow to get the right coverage which quickly caught on because of the story, and the fact that it's suspicious and she was with someone who didn't even mention she had disappeared. I think when there's more mystery to the story it catches on.

I am in OH and the story of the missing IL student has come up here. I don't remember if it was in the local newspaper or local news, but I did hear it. So maybe it's because the other story affected so many states that the coverage is more broad.

I honestly never thought about the fact that she's white and pretty affected this. However, our local news often has stories of missing kids who are black so maybe that's why it never crossed my mind.

[essnce629]

I honestly never thought about the fact that she's white and pretty affected this. However, our local news often has stories of missing kids who are black so maybe that's why it never crossed my mind.

Local coverage yes, but it seems that it takes being white/pretty/young/female to get national coverage (and even international coverage-- thinking of Natalee Holloway, Madeleine McCann, etc).

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[mom2binsd]

I know there have been many studies/articles in the past that have clearly documented that media coverage is very skewed towards the "cheerleader/all American girl/predominantly white victims", the number of women of color and Native heritage is great but usually garner little coverage. In western Canada the number of missing native women missing is staggering. I absolutely believe white victims get more coverage in the media, I dare say there wouldn't have been countless movies and books if Jon Benet Ramsey was not white (and this is speaking from a women who is white).

[Green_Tea]

Honest question-- why is there so much intrigue and media coverage of this story? Is it because she's young, white, pretty, and blond? I'm pretty sure hundreds of people go missing a day nationwide, but few get this type of coverage. I'm on a parenting FB group and a mom posted yesterday that her best friend's son is missing, also under suspicious circumstances. He's been missing since August 25th (same week as Gabby), his car was found abandoned with his belongings inside, and he's a current college student (so similar age as Gabby). Zero press, which is why the friend was sharing his story and pictures online. Only difference is he's male and black.

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My best guess is that you are 100% correct - young, white, and blond gets more press. I also think the online following she had helped garner more attention, and the fact that the police already had a good idea that the boyfriend was involved so they sort of had a trail to follow. None of those things makes it acceptable that a young person who disappeared under mysterious circumstances is not getting press. How infuriating.

[westwoodmom04]

Local coverage yes, but it seems that it takes being white/pretty/young/female to get national coverage (and even international coverage-- thinking of Natalee Holloway, Madeleine McCann, etc).

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I definitely agree that white, young and pretty gets the most coverage but I think the story here blew up even beyond that norm because of the odd behavior of his family and the involvement of the social media set (Tik tokers, you tube) actually provided critical info about his movements and where the van was parked in the Tetons.

[infocrazy]

I definitely agree that white, young and pretty gets the most coverage but I think the story here blew up even beyond that norm because of the odd behavior of his family and the involvement of the social media set (Tik tokers, you tube) actually provided critical info about his movements and where the van was parked in the Tetons.

Agreed and then unlike most missing person cases there WERE updates...and they kept getting more suspicious. The police video where SHE seemed to be the problem, and then his lack of cooperation as a person of interest, and then HIS disappearance kept it as a new story for a long time with updates...

[petesgirl]

Agreed and then unlike most missing person cases there WERE updates...and they kept getting more suspicious. The police video where SHE seemed to be the problem, and then his lack of cooperation as a person of interest, and then HIS disappearance kept it as a new story for a long time with updates...

That's very true-- the weird daily updates did keep me checking the news every morning. There wouldn't be much to report on, besides a mention that the person is still missing, without all those other things.

[khm]

I do think her race and attractiveness have a lot to do with it. Study after study bears this out.

But, I also think her chosen lifestyle (being a #vanlife influencer) also had a TON to do with it. With that, there is a built in reel of her life that people could consume..... and pick apart. (I've heard a lot of "Why did they have no other friends, there are no pictures with other friends for either of them? How were they affording this? Did they think they could make a living by driving a van around and taking fake happy pictures?") A lot of snark, basically.

I think the stereotypical perfect influencer photos and stories grab the attention of the media way harder than another random young person, it's lazy reporting, but they already have so many IMAGES to show. Like with Jon Benet Ramsey I think all those pageant videos just grabbed the media and they fed it down to us - and it snowballed from there. Our interest fed their reporting. Their reporting fed our interest. We can easily gawk at and dissect their lives - in positive AND negative ways. There is a lot of eyerolling towards "influencers" (and was towards pageant moms).

Then, it was just so weird. The boyfriend just shows up a 40-something hour drive away at mom & dad's without her in what is technically her van and...... expected no one to ask about her? He won't say anything? He doesn't have any story about where she is? The parents seem to be hiding him / hiring him a lawyer? Then the police body cam video showing their perfect life was anything but perfect. He takes off in a car to hike? A couple DAYS later they call him in as also missing. They say he took the Mustang and went for a hike. The cops go, you mean that Mustang in your driveway? They'd retrieved the car, then waited days before calling the cops about their missing son? Reddit was alight with arm-chair sleuths. Then other social media people were realizing they'd seem him/them and legit information started coming from them. Astonishingly, she was found. In all that terrain they'd been in, I figured she'd never be found.

I'm one of those dorks who listens to all the podcasts about missing people, etc. There are SO SO many missing people that you never hear about. It's sad hearing their stories and thinking, "why didn't this make the news? I've never heard about this person." Over and over and over.

We've had several missing (mostly white) younger kids in my state in the last few years. They also rarely make the news beyond the local stuff that peters out eventually. They certainly never reached Jon Benet levels of attention.