Merced County Sheriff's Deputies have been searching for Vanessa Smith since the 15-year-old disappeared while walking near her Winton home in 1997. In the past, they've handed out flyers and even posted her picture on trucks that travel Highway 99. But now detectives have taken their investigation online by creating the "Bring Home Vanessa Smith" Facebook page.
Det. Corey Gibson said, "We thought we could get out to more people. The information is out there to solve this case, it's just getting the right person at the right time to come forward and say hey I know something."
The sheriff's office is just one of many national, state, and local law enforcement agencies now using Facebook for a variety of reasons. The Merced Police Department's Traffic Division has a page that gives details on events that impact city streets ... including DUI checkpoints.
Officer Keith Rieg said, "The main idea of it was to let people know that we're going to be out there so maybe they'll be better off staying at home that night if they are going to drink or have designated drivers."
U.C. Merced's Police Department also has a page, and even students who hadn't seen it agree it's a good resource.
U.C. Merced Student, Alex Filipovich said, "I think it will be a good way to connect, especially with youngsters and the young generation because we use Facebook a lot."
Some agencies across the country have already had success with Facebook by tracking down suspects after posting their pictures on the site. And now Merced County Detectives are hoping they'll get that same valuable community input from their page for Vanessa Smith.
Det. Corey Gibson said, "We just added more video from the past, and we're just hoping it can remind someone of something from 1997 to help come forward with that information that we're so desperately seeking."
