The hashtag #true crime has been viewed 38.7 billion times on TikTok and the hunger for constant updates about both current and cold criminal cases has led to the rise of the “TikTok detective”. But this phenomenon poses new and ongoing challenges for police in their investigations.
Interference by these social media sleuths became particularly apparent in January 2023 after the disappearance of 45-year-old mortgage adviser Nicola Bulley in the UK.
