YouTubers making thousands of dollars from ghoulishly hanging around crime scenes and unfounded theories
A surreal scene unfolded at the scene of Nancy Guthrie’s abduction on Feb.10 when a pizza delivery man approached the house with a stack of pies.Frustrated police turned him away from the active crime scene with a stern warning.
Reporters there claimed the pizzas had been sent by a fan for true crime live streamer Jonathan Lee Riches, better known as JLR Investigates.Riches was part of a gaggle camped at the front of the house, a new breed of content creators who blur the lines between reporting, investigation and entertainment.“We’re trying to give people a view from an outsider looking in to see what it’s like, especially after the mainstream media goes home,” said Alina Smith, co-founder of Crime Seen Collective, a network of streamers who were also in Tucson, Arizona, at the Guthrie house.“I ask my supporters and followers what else they want, what they’re looking for, and try and give that to them,” she told The Post.To casual observers it may seem bizarre to watch for hours only to see little more than a police shift-change happen.But streamers who have built up their brands giving daily commentary on missing-person cases, murders and police investigations have devoted communities who treat the cases like interactive mysteries.Riches investigated tips — including an unrelated car tow and a hospital airlift — he felt could be connected to the case.He also takes requests for Super Chat cash donations.“Is the doormat still there?” one woman asked after donating $5.Riches obliged — walking closer to Guthrie’s house and zooming in on the mat.
“Yep, have a look,” he replied.“They haven’t ever taken it away for testing!”These DIY online channels can prove lucrative too, with top live streamers pulling in up to $30,000-a-week, according to Smith, and fans flying in from other states to meet them.Followers say they admire the doggedness and feel like they are part of the investigation.However, they are not, and this is where pol...