Social Media Monsters examines serious crimes where social media played a significant role, meeting victims, friends and families, and gaining insight from police, psychologists and other experts
Examining serious crimes where social media has played a significant role, with interviews with victims and input from experts. Beginning with the murder of 15-year-old Holly Newton whose social media accounts were hacked by her ex-boyfriend who used them to track her movements, find her and stab her over 30 times.
How a stalker sought revenge on her former boss, using LinkedIn, Instagram and X to ruin her reputation online. When the campaign of harassment failed to yield results, she turned her attention to other targets, including a motivational speaker she had only met for 30 seconds and a woman who tried to help her.
Teenager Joe Dix was groomed on social media by a county lines gang. Despite his parents' attempts to get him out of drug-dealing, he kept getting pulled back in, with tragic consequences.
When Leah Ware stopped posting on Facebook in 2021, her family assumed she was still living on a farm with the new boyfriend who she'd met online. But when another woman vanished after visiting the same remote farmyard, suspicion mounted. A prescription in Leah's name is found in a suspect's car, but her body's still missing. With no physical remains, police must build a case against their prime suspect.
When American Carson Sistrunk set off to meet a woman he knew off Snapchat, he told his parents he'd be back that night. A day later, Carson was missing and so was his truck - and his family feared the worst. Sierra Inscoe was caught driving Carson's vehicle, but there was no sign of Carson. Soon, his body was discovered near an oil well, and Inscoe became the prime suspect. As police dug into her social media profiles, a disturbing pattern of deception and crime emerged.
Serious crimes where social media played a significant role. Shortly after 15-year-old Elianne Andam's friend broke up with 17-year-old Hassan Sentamu, a meeting between the ex-partners ended in humiliation for Hassan, prompting him to tell his friends online that 'he can't let it slide'. The next time he saw the girls, he was carrying a knife.
The story of a woman who advertised incredible holiday deals for friends and family on her Facebook page. But when the bookings led to countless problems, Durham police got involved and her business dealings uncovered one of the largest fraud cases in their history.
'Chloe' has been messaging boys in Essex on Snapchat and Instagram and exchanging intimate pictures. But 'Chloe' is an alter ego for a prolific paedophile bent on abuse.
When James comes to the aid of a homeless man while celebrating a family birthday, he's murdered by an irate teenager with a knife. And it's on Snapchat. And Essex Police are onto it.
Ali Abulaban becomes TikTok famous when his character Jinnkid gathers hundreds of thousands of followers. Meanwhile, in the real world, his behaviour spirals into domestic abuse and more.
