Idaho murders: Internet recalls how Google helped to catch Thomas Nick in similar quadruple killings
This article is based on sources and MEAWW cannot verify this information independently.
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers' discretion advised
MOSCOW, IDAHO: Despite seeking tips from the public, cops have not shared any update regarding the killings of the four University of Idaho students, Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, in the early morning hours of November 13. But internet sleuths are on a mission to solve the mystery. They are now comparing the quadruple killings with the case of Thomas Nick, who raped a 13-year-old boy in front of his family before stabbing four of them to death in 2015, and how Google helped the investigators to catch the culprit.
On September 21, 2015, Thomas allegedly murdered Carla Schauer, 48, her two sons David, 19, and Dion, 13, and their 21-year-old friend Simona in the small town of Rupperswil, Switzerland. Swiss media tagged the one-time soccer coach the ‘Beast of Rupperswil’ and described the alleged gruesome acts of murders as one of the "most gruesome cases in Swiss criminal history," states The Local.
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Taking the discussion to Reddit, one of the users shared a link writing, "[Similar case] How Swiss quadruple murderer was caught by Google." The article of the shared link stated that "Google gave the first clue." Followed by, "The first important tip is from the Internet giant Google. Investigators asked Google to obtain the IP addresses of all the computers of the victim’s family [before the crime]." It further stated, "Nick found out [about] his victims in advance and also found out more about it online – he left a clear mark." Commenting on the thread, one wrote, "Did anyone look at the keyword searches for the victims names prior to the murders on Google? It tells you the location of the searches, dates, and how many. It was pretty interesting to look at. The victims all had spikes in searches for their names on Google which could mean nothing but the spikes seemed unusually high compared to their names being searched in periods of time before." One more said, "I was just thinking that only Google would know who the killer is but didn't realize LE could access any info from it."
While another recalled the case by saying, "I think the Google part that helped was the sicko [Thomas] used his phone during the crime — the Google searches were nice, but having the phone on during the crime was pretty huge. That's how they nailed him: the phone's vicinity to a crime scene that day. Then that human bag of garbage fully confessed."
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
