Florida Sheriff Uses Social Media Content To Bring Attention to Cold Case

Posted at 5th-Jun-2017 in Uncategorized | Leave a reply

“Hi, my name is Marjorie “Christy” Luna. I disappeared 33 years ago, at the age of 8. I was never found, and this is my story… #Justice4Luna”

So begins the story of Christy Luna’s disappearance.  After 33 years and no trace of Christy, the Sheriff’s department decided to try a new tactic. They would tell the story of the days, hours, and minutes leading up to Christy’s disappearance on their own @PBCountrySheriff’s Twitter feed, from Christy’s point of view. From May 26-28, they would bring Christy back to tell her story and hopefully shore up new leads.

“The regular media is great to get this stuff out, but when you stop to think about it, it’s one newscast or one radio broadcast or one newspaper [but] this is ongoing,” said Palm Beach Country Sheriff Ric Bradshow at a press conference following the stunt. “This is a way to keep the conversation going.”

And keep the conversation going they did. From the Washington Post to the The Daily Mail, the story is spreading, and new leads are coming in.

 How did the Sheriff’s department full this off?

First, they planned: Christy would take over the @PBCountySheriff Twitter feed exactly 33 years to the day and time that she was last seen. They prepared tweets ahead of time; created the #Justice4Luna hashtag and additional social assets, like the Twitter account’s cover photo, all of which aligned with the story they were trying to tell. Many types of media—including old photos, maps, stock imagery, and creative videos—were incorporated to bring the story to life.

Next, they promoted the project:

… and made it as easy as possible to follow along:

The story follows the exact timeline of Christy’s disappearance, and the tweets incorporated many feelings any normal young girl would experience…

…And when the story took on a scarier turn, the tweets became more suspenseful and enticing to follow:

The story ends just like Christy’s, with no real answers but still a glimmer of hope:

To wrap up the social event, @PBCountySheriff shared a call to action to share Christy’s story:

The campaign raised awareness and generated new informaiton as a citizen came forward describing a blue car and a white male that resembled a former person of interest and the County Sheriff’s Department efforts demonstrate how creative storytelling can go a long way on social media. Read Christy’s story on @PBCountySheriff’s Twitter page and if you have any information on her whereabouts, contact the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

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