Were social media posts genuinely warning the public in late 2024 about Robert Thibodeau, who was being called a "serial killer on the run" in communities over 2,500 miles apart? No, that's not true: Tipton County, Tennessee, Sheriff Shannon Beasley responded to one of these posts, shared in that area, stating, "This is a scam and NOT TRUE." Through a reverse image search, Lead Stories learned that the man shown isn't Thibodeau or a wanted serial killer but someone charged with a different crime in 2018.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on December 3, 2024. The post's caption, which would later change, originally said:
⚠️Warning⚠️
The public around #weslaco is being warned to be alert & vigilant as there is a serial killer on the run. This man goes around knocking on peoples' doors claiming to be homeless ,seeking help & he attacks you after gaining your trust. He's ruthless and very dangerous 😭.
On Thursday, he attacked a 37 year old single mom with a knife and left her struggling for her life 😭. Known as Robert Thibodeau aged 52 years, also stole a vehicle from an 83-year-old grandmother under the guise of helping her offload groceries from her car. If you see him please call the police and be careful. Warn others⚠️
This is what the post looked like on Facebook on the morning (Eastern Time) of December 4, 2024:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Wed Dec 4 15:31:00 2024 UTC)
Almost identical versions of this post were popping up all over social media in late 2024. They all claim that a 52-year-old serial killer named Robert Thibodeau is on the run and is "ruthless and very dangerous." The only difference is that the name of the town changes to match where it's being shared.
In a Facebook search on December 4, 2024, Lead Stories found dozens of examples of this post. They claim Robert Thibodeau is knocking on doors in towns from Salem, Oregon, all the way to Augusta, Georgia, which are more than 2,500 miles apart. Four of these posts are shown below, with the towns circled in red:
(Source: Facebook screenshots taken on Wed Dec 4 2024 UTC)
Tipton County sheriff
Shannon Beasley, the sheriff in Tipton County, Tennessee, called attention to the scam in a post (archived here) on his Facebook page on December 3, 2024. It said:
***SCAM ALERT***
We have received numerous calls/messages in regard to the below screenshot of an alleged 'serial killer' being spread across social media sites. This is a scam and NOT TRUE. Please know that we would certainly be alerting our citizens on our own social media platforms of such a violent person on the loose in our area. Thank you for your concern and willingness to watch out for your fellow neighbor, but please do not fall victim to these scammers. If you have any question about posts such as this, feel free to contact us for verification. You can almost rest assured if someone this violent is on the loose you will find this information on our page or any of our other local agencies social media sites first. Thank you all!
This is what Beasley's post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Wed Dec 4 17:10:56 2024 UTC)
Google search
A reverse image search (archived here) on Google Lens provided the source of the image used in the social media posts. The picture is a booking photo from 2018 of James A. Vining, who was arrested on charges of video voyeurism and multiple drug counts in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, The Advocate (archived here) reported.
Bait-and-switch
This post appears to be part of an online bait-and-switch scam that deceives social media users into viewing posts -- and then sharing them -- that are later edited to show advertisements. The same is true for the post on Facebook cited at the start of this story. It flipped to an ad for a "benefits assistance program" on December 4, 2024:
Big thanks to the wonderful group member who shared info about the benefits assistance program!
I was so surprised and grateful to receive this support
. If you or someone you know could use a little help this festive season, definitely check out ...
This is what the post looked like on Facebook on the afternoon (Eastern Time) of December 4, 2024, after making the switch:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Wed Dec 4 21:41:23 2024 UTC)
Read me
Additional Lead Stories fact checks of claims about bait-and-switch scams can be read here.
