Zara McDermott heads to the small town of Moscow, Idaho to uncover the story of the social media frenzy that sprung up following the tragic murders of four Idaho University students
New Zara McDermott documentary uncovering the social media frenzy that followed Idaho University Murders coming soon to BBC Three and BBC iPlayer
The victims, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Madison Mogen were all stabbed to death in November 2022. From the very first reports of the crime, to the news of the arrest, Zara will see how every detail of the investigation in to their murders was turned into social media content and meet those who took it upon themselves to try and identify the killer.
Like millions of people all over the world, Zara began to look deeper into the case, scouring social media looking for clues and theories as to what happened and try to find an understanding of how such a horrific crime occurred. As days turned in to weeks, global interest in the case snowballed racking up nearly 2 billion views on TikTok worldwide with the harrowing case remaining unsolved.
Along her journey, she will meet online true crime sleuths building their own theories about the murders alongside those who were personally affected by the social media storm, leading her to reflect on her own role in the tragedy and learn more about the cause and effect of obsessive online consumption of true crime.