The rise of tragedy trolling

Relatives of the missing suffer endless online abuse, lies & accusations

- BY HANNAH BRITT

Missing People is campaigning against the “tragedy trolling” of families, when online amateur sleuthing turns into vile abuse.

The charity wants content creators to sign a pledge to treat stories about missing people with respect. It is speaking out about trolls exploiting platforms such as Facebook and TikTok to spread online lies and hatred.

High-profile missing persons such as Nicola Bulley and Madeleine McCann have been particularly targeted.

Tragedy trollers are cyberbullies who post abusive, mocking, or sensationalised content; and spread misinformation, accusations and theories about missing people on social media.

Ross Miller, CEO of Missing People, which backs the Mirror's Missed campaign, said: “Every missing person deserves attention in order to help find them. The public has an important role to play in that.

“But sometimes online sleuths cross a line. Some of the content we're seeing is truly vile. Loved ones are reporting trauma and, in some cases, it is even disrupting police investigations. This has got to stop – right now.”