Facebook Helps Police Catch Murder Suspect

Facebook is good for all kinds of things – catching up with long-lost family members, old classmates, coworkers, etc. It’s also known for helping police officers catch the occasional criminal. I’ve read several accounts regarding how some of the “not-so-smart” criminals have actually incriminated themselves using the popular social media service. Some made unwise posts while they were drunk, some actually posed in clothing they’d recently stolen, and some just posed for the wrong picture at the wrong time. Whatever the case, Facebook helped the police to find and follow their tracks. And now, Facebook is responsible for helping a certain police officer track down a most-wanted murder suspect from 2003.

Eduardo Rodriguez, a 35-year-old male from Riverside, California, was wanted by police since the year 2003 on a homicide charge. Somewhere along the line, Rodriguez’s trail went cold and the police lost sight of him – until an officer found him on Facebook, that is. Here’s how it happened – an injured officer decided he’d start looking up the suspect’s family on Facebook and hoped he might get lucky. He found some pictures that looked like the suspect, but who had a different name and a different career. After some investigation, it was determined that he’d attempted to create a new identity as a carpenter. He was even engaged to a woman who states she knew nothing about his alleged homicidal past.

As a result of the injured officer’s investigation, police were ultimately able to arrest Rodriguez and bring him to jail. It turns out he may’ve been connected with at least 4 homicides.

Did you know Facebook could be so useful to the public? Let us know in the comments section below!

[Image via Breitbart]