Top 20 Normal Social Media Posts with Disturbing Backstories
These social media posts are hiding something sinister. For this list, we’ll be looking at social media posts or photographs that initially look harmless but are connected to disturbing or uncomfortable backstories, either by external circumstances or their accidental association with dark controversies.
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00:00 But behind the smiles and matching outfits, welcome to WatchMojo.
00:04 And today we're counting down our picks for the top 20 normal social media posts
00:08 with disturbing backstories. What is the point of that? I don't understand.
00:12 Like, what was she trying to accomplish? Do you think because I can't even show
00:15 one child to be the most beautiful, perfect child for this list? We'll be looking at
00:19 social media posts or photographs that initially look harmless but are connected to disturbing
00:25 or uncomfortable backstories, either by external circumstances or their accidental association
00:32 with dark controversies. Have you ever thought twice about something you've seen on social media?
00:37 Let us know in the comments below.
00:39 Number 20. A Descent Into QAnon
00:44 An Arizona man named Michael Meyer posted to Facebook claiming that he had uncovered a
00:48 secret human trafficking ring in Tucson. This ignited a storm of concern, but it didn't take
00:54 long for the investigators to prove that it was all made up. But that was just the start of the
01:00 story. Meyer received thousands of dollars in donations, which subsequently disappeared without
01:05 a trace. Meyer then fell deeper and deeper into QAnon conspiracies. He often films himself
01:11 wandering the desert and stealing water tanks from humanitarian groups that he is convinced
01:16 are part of the trafficking ring. He was finally arrested and charged with two felony counts of
01:21 third-degree burglary. It's a rather disturbing spiral that all began with a viral Facebook post.
01:28 Number 19. The Turpin Family
01:31 Peruse the Turpin family's social media and you'll find a seemingly happy group.
01:36 Mom Louise and father David smiling while renewing their wedding vows. Their kids a well-matched
01:42 group around them. A funny picture referencing Dr. Seuss with the children wearing "thing" shirts.
01:49 In fact, Louise's aunt directly commented on the family's Facebook accounts, saying they looked
01:54 like one big happy family. In reality, these children were being horrifically abused by their
02:00 parents. They were only let out of the house on occasion, resulting in these seemingly normal
02:06 pictures. One of the kids, Jordan Turpin, eventually escaped and called the police.
02:11 "I don't know how you had the courage, never having spoken to anyone like that."
02:16 Louise and David were found guilty of numerous charges and given 25 years to life.
02:22 "This is off the charts sadistic."
02:24 Number 18. Emily Sander
02:26 Back in November of 2007, a particularly disturbing post was made on 4chan. The anonymous
02:34 user uploaded a picture of a young woman and claimed that whoever guessed their own post
02:38 number would be given a set of coordinates. These coordinates would allegedly lead to the body of
02:44 the girl in the photo. As uncomfortable as it is, this sort of content is a regular occurrence on
02:51 4chan, so people played along. But the coordinates did in fact lead to a body, and this was later
02:58 identified as Emily Sander, the young woman seen in the photograph. Some believe this was a hoax
03:04 perpetrated by a 4chan troll, but others are convinced that the poster killed Sander and gave
03:10 the coordinates to her body. Number 17. #MyFace
03:14 #MyNYPD
03:15 Issues of police brutality are a hot topic in the news, and it's represented best through the
03:21 mis-aimed #MyNYPD campaign. In 2014, the New York Police Department looked to bolster their image
03:29 on social media and created the hashtag. The idea was to have everyday people post pictures of
03:35 themselves interacting with friendly police officers. But this simple post ignited a firestorm.
03:41 The hashtag was quickly hijacked and people uploaded many instances of police brutality
03:46 and abuses of power. Swinging batons, people getting thrown onto the ground and choked,
03:58 it was all there. The protest movement was incredibly popular, and it thoroughly dismantled
04:03 the NYPD's benign intentions with an upsetting reality. Number 16. #ClaireMiller
04:16 You never know about the people on TikTok. Some may look ordinary, but are actually harboring
04:23 dark secrets or malicious inner demons just waiting to emerge. This is eerily exemplified
04:29 through the account @spiritsandsuchconsulting, which had about 20,000 followers. The girl who
04:36 ran this account seemed like your typical teenager, posting about anime, dancing, and making
04:41 jokes about her dad. However, internet sleuths later linked this account to a convicted murderer
04:46 named Claire Miller, who stabbed and killed her disabled sister in 2021. Prosecution argued that
04:52 Miller was obsessed with homicide and that she was afraid of harming herself or others. The Miller
04:57 family has asked for mercy from the courts and hope that their daughter would be able to get
05:01 treatment for her mental health in a clinical setting. The videos were made prior to her arrest,
05:06 with the most recent being uploaded just one day before the killing occurred. Miller is now in
05:11 prison, having been convicted of third-degree murder. Number 15. #Nightclubfire
05:17 You can also see here where Good Samaritans and firefighters use sledgehammers to break through
05:23 into the bathroom and try to drag people out here to safety. The pain here is still very raw tonight.
05:29 Those who follow DJ Bolinha on Facebook would have seen a pretty common picture on the morning
05:34 of January 27, 2013. His Facebook photo is a regular nightclub scene, complete with purple
05:41 lights, a band playing on stage, and a packed room with people standing shoulder to shoulder.
05:46 But it was shortly after this photo was uploaded that tragedy struck. The picture was taken at the
05:51 Kiss nightclub in Brazil, which suffered a devastating fire when stage pyrotechnics ignited
05:56 the soundproofing foam in the ceiling. The building did not have adequate fire escapes
06:01 and was over capacity, resulting in hundreds of injuries and 242 deaths. This makes it the
06:07 second deadliest fire in Brazil's history. Number 14. #McDStories
06:14 It's evident that many people love a good hashtag takeover. The New York Police Department learned
06:19 this the hard way and so did McDonald's. Back in 2012, the famous chain launched the hashtag
06:25 #McDStories, hoping to inspire positive tales about their delicious food and unbeatable
06:31 hospitality. Naturally, customers quickly hijacked the hashtag and shared some less
06:36 than fortunate incidents. Tales ranged from the comedic and goofy to the disgusting, disturbing,
06:42 and even tragic. Horrific injuries, unfortunate farming practices, and even fatal heart attacks,
06:48 you name it. The campaign was such a disaster that McDonald's pulled the plug after just two
06:53 hours. But the damage had long been done. Number 13. #AnUnfortunatePhotoshop
07:01 Kim Zolciak is a regular cast member on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and she has
07:05 repeatedly been accused of photoshopping pictures of her children. Perhaps the most infamous case
07:10 occurred in 2018 when Zolciak posted what looked like a harmless picture of her daughter Kaya
07:16 with her son Kane. However, her older daughter Brielle posted the same photo to Instagram,
07:22 and people immediately noticed some key differences. In Zolciak's photo, young Kaya's
07:27 nose looks slightly smaller and her bottom slightly bigger. The latter is especially
07:32 evident in the way the baseboard warps in Zolciak's photo but looks normal in Brielle's.
07:38 The revelation quickly gained traction on social media, with many condemning Zolciak for making
07:43 the alterations. Number 12. #StayingForPizza
07:51 It was September 8, 2014, and DiGiorno saw that the hashtag #WhyIStayed was trending.
07:58 Deciding to hop on the wagon, and not doing a single second of research, they added their
08:03 contribution. #WhyIStayed, you had pizza. Simple enough. Except this hashtag was being used for a
08:11 much more nefarious and uncomfortable purpose. It was actually being used to facilitate discussion
08:17 about domestic abuse and why people stay with their aggressive partners. Put in that context,
08:22 the DiGiorno post takes on a whole new and far less wholesome meaning. The company quickly deleted
08:28 the post, admitting that they did not read what the hashtag was about before posting. They then
08:33 spent the next day writing personal apologies to offended users. Number 11. #TakingABite
08:40 In June 2014, Puma posted a photo on X, formerly Twitter, depicting a muscular man wearing the blue
08:47 jersey of the Italian soccer team. Accompanying the picture was the caption, "Players look damn
08:53 good in those Puma shirts. Hard to resist taking a bite." Odd phrasing. What's that about? Well,
09:00 this was actually part of a wider meme in which companies and corporations were making
09:04 bite-themed puns about soccer player Luis Suarez. During the 2014 World Cup, Italy was playing
09:11 Uruguay when Uruguay's Suarez bit Italy's Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder. It was not a serious
09:22 injury, but it was enough to get Suarez banned from football for four months. The player Luis
09:27 Suarez is banned from taking part in any kind of football-related activity, administrative, sport,
09:33 or any other, for a period of four months in accordance with Article 22 of the FIFA Disciplinary
09:40 Code. Number 10. #WalrusAttack
09:43 Zhao Lijun believed he'd made an unusual friend, a walrus at the Xishuako Wildlife Park in China.
09:52 He documented his trip to the park on WeChat, where he referred to the walrus as "so strong,
09:57 so big." Unfortunately, he made a terrible mistake when he entered the walrus' enclosure,
10:03 turned his back on the huge animal, and attempted to take a selfie. The walrus grabbed him and pulled
10:08 him into the water. According to staff at the zoo, it may have been acting playfully rather
10:13 than aggressively. But after a struggle, Zhao and a zookeeper who tried to help him were both drowned.
10:20 Number 9. Hitting the Hay
10:23 Back in 2013, the supermarket company Tesco sent a tweet to its followers that read,
10:29 "It's sleepy time, so we're off to hit the hay." This seemingly innocuous statement became
10:35 unexpectedly popular, receiving hundreds of comments and over 2,000 retweets. But not for
10:41 a positive reason. Only a few days earlier, Tesco had been accused of selling burgers with horse
10:46 meat in them, an accusation which, unfortunately, turned out to be true.
10:51 "That's horrible. As a student, I'm buying the cheaper stuff.
10:54 So, I don't like to have to buy it. I know it's not made very nicely. The fact it's got a horse
10:59 in it, I was like…" Tesco's ill-timed reference to hitting the hay caused an uproar on Twitter
11:04 and prompted an apology by the company's spokesperson. "Don't Twitter. For the love of
11:09 Jesus, just stop." Number 8. Be Careful What You Repost
11:14 In 2014, one Philip Bradbury made a request to US President Donald Trump on Twitter.
11:20 He wrote, "My parents who passed away always said you were a big inspiration.
11:25 Can you please retweet for their memory?" He included a picture of a middle-aged couple.
11:30 Not one to refuse a fan, Trump obligingly retweeted, and became the butt of jokes throughout
11:35 the UK. It turned out that the parents in the photograph were none other than Fred and Rose
11:40 West, notorious English serial killers who murdered at least 12 people before they were caught in the
11:45 1980s. Everyone should be cautious about retweeting posts from unknown sources, but especially
11:51 presidents. "Retweet, fave everything." Number 7. A Sinister Marriage Announcement
11:58 When Charlie Carver's Facebook page announced his marriage to Kayla Brown, his girlfriend,
12:04 family and friends were more worried than excited. The day before, both Carver and Brown had
12:09 mysteriously disappeared, and the fact that Brown had left her dog alone and unattended was suspicious.
12:15 As days passed, several more Facebook posts appeared, some disturbing, such as news stories
12:20 about the missing couple and violent messages. Police were able to track the location of Carver's
12:25 and Brown's cell phones, which had ended up near the property of real estate broker,
12:30 Todd Kolhepp. There they found Brown, tied up in a crate, and Carver's body.
12:34 Kolhepp had abducted them both, murdered Carver and posted the Facebook messages in Carver's name.
12:44 Number 6. Appearing Innocent Isn't Enough
12:52 When Alan Ruby posted a picture of himself relaxing in a hotel with college roommates,
12:58 probably no one who saw it guessed that his parents and sister were dead at home.
13:02 The housekeeper found them the next morning. They had all been shot.
13:05 In spite of the post on social media, which might have been an attempt to create an alibi,
13:22 suspicion fell on Ruby pretty quickly. The young college student was a compulsive and
13:26 extravagant spender, so desperate for money that he had previously stolen his grandmother's credit
13:32 card. As it turned out, Ruby had murdered his three family members in cold blood,
13:37 believing he would then inherit their money. Number 5. Posting While Flying
13:43 Amritpal Singh was an amateur pilot who liked to post pictures from the air to social media.
13:49 While admiring his lovely photos, friends and family members probably never stopped to think
13:53 about the possible danger to Singh himself. But sadly, it eventually caught up with him.
13:58 In May of 2014, Singh's plane crashed not far from the Front Range Airport in Colorado.
14:13 He and his passenger, a friend, were killed in the crash. Evidence showed that both of them
14:24 had been taking pictures and selfies with their phones. Authorities believe that the
14:28 flashes temporarily blinded Singh, making him lose control of the plane. Those old selfies
14:39 feel different in retrospect. Number 4. At the Red Lake
14:44 In 2017, when travel vlogger Sarah Funk visited the Mitzrah Red Lake in Cyprus,
14:51 she and her partner probably thought the place was creepy enough. A mining company excavated there
14:57 long ago, then abandoned the site, leaving an acidic crater that fills with red water every
15:02 winter. Funk posted a video on YouTube of herself at the lake with what appeared to be an old
15:07 suitcase floating in the water nearby. Two years later, a Cypriot army captain confessed to
15:13 murdering several people, putting their bodies in suitcases and throwing them into the Red Lake.
15:19 So chances are, without realizing it, Funk was near one that day in 2017.
15:29 Number 3. Off the Road Based on her social media posts,
15:34 Gabby Petito's travels across the United States with her boyfriend Brian Laundrie seemed idyllic.
15:40 An aspiring influencer, she documented them hiking, camping, and having fun on the beach.
15:45 However, all was not as it seemed. Witnesses told police that they saw an altercation between the
15:51 couple. Police found Petito distraught. About a month later, Laundrie returned to Florida in their
15:56 van, alone. Not long after, Petito's body was discovered in a national park in Wyoming. Laundrie,
16:09 the prime suspect, was found dead in a swamp sometime later. He had taken his own life,
16:14 and in his notebook, he had admitted to killing Petito.
16:17 Number 2. Dating Turned Deadly When Sidney Loof didn't come to work one day
16:23 in November of 2017, concerned friends and family contacted the police. Investigators saw that her
16:29 last post to social media had been a selfie with the caption "Ready for my date." She had been in
16:35 contact with a woman on Tinder named Audrey. They also found that her phone had pinged at an
16:40 apartment near Lincoln, Nebraska. However, the apartment's residents, Bailey Boswell and Aubrey
16:45 Trail, had disappeared. The couple posted videos on social media claiming they didn't know what
16:50 happened to Loof, but had fled because the police were after them. After Loof's remains were
16:55 discovered not long afterward, both were convicted of first-degree murder. Before we continue, be
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17:19 Number 1. A Scam, An Escape, And A Murder Our top pick is one of the most disturbing
17:28 stories in social media history. Dee Dee Blanchard had a joint
17:37 Facebook account with her daughter Gypsy Rose, where she would post asking for donations.
17:42 Rose was apparently suffering from leukemia, muscular dystrophy, and other ailments.
17:48 As it turned out, however, Dee Dee had been lying to doctors and friends for years.
17:59 Rose had no serious medical conditions and had been confined to the house and forbidden to speak
18:03 to anyone. When Rose was 20, she met a sympathetic young man online and they hatched a plan to murder
18:09 her mother. Once it was done, Rose announced the fact on their Facebook page. Although Rose is now
18:15 in prison, she says she feels "freer" than before. Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other
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18:33 [Music]