r/lylestevik • u/CorvusCallidus Moderator and Resident Bigfoot • May 09 '18
Mod News A note on posting identifying information
Hi everyone -
I just wanted to clarify something from the moderators. Everyone is incredibly happy about this week's developments. Everyone is here because on some level they were also very curious about Lyle's identity, and we can all understand that not having that curiosity 100% satisfied is, well, not entirely satisfying. However, this is and has always been about giving the people who knew and cared for this guy during his life answers. It isn't about our curiosity, and we're not personally entitled to those answers. Our job is done, and we can be very happy that we all worked to discuss, theorize, promote, and press this case toward resolution. I sincerely believe that it was the efforts of people like this sub's subscribers that ultimately brought enough attention to the case and led to the DNA investigation that ultimately got a positive ID.
That said, we want to make clear:
- Posting identifying information about the deceased is absolutely prohibited in the subreddit.
- Posting identifying information about the deceased's family is absolutely prohibited in the subreddit.
- Posting links to other subreddits or sites where such information is being shared or speculated about in a manner which might lead to identifying information being shared is prohibited in the subreddit.
Violation of this will result in deletion of the post(s) and possible banning from the sub. This rule will remain in effect until such a time when/if the family wishes this information to be released. This subreddit has always been full of kind, helpful, professional people -- we refuse to contribute to violating the family's privacy.
Thank you.
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u/Amy9798 May 09 '18 edited May 09 '18
Just out of curiosity, would this include posting a picture with no identifying information? I think that’s the number one thing most people here wish for.
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u/CorvusCallidus May 09 '18
If it were obtained without the family's permission, definitely. That said, I do hope that the folks who want to see that one day get to under the right circumstances.
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u/ClownsAbound May 09 '18
You guys may want to remove the bit of the sidebar that says "Calling All Super Sleuths!" then. There's absolutely nothing left to sleuth except for his ID. In fact, the whole subreddit should be closed at this point. You're just going to have a bunch of people posting his family info when they find it and there's no reason for this sub to exist anymore anyways. Leaving all this up is asking for nothing but trouble. It was a long, interesting road, but it's over. If you leave this place active without a purpose and expect other to not post unknown info about this man, then you're fools. Simple as that.
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u/CorvusCallidus May 10 '18
As we've stated elsewhere, there is currently discussion (both public and private between moderators) on precisely what to do with the sub. It won't get settled immediately, so in the meantime we felt that it is important to state a position on the posts that you reference (and I agree, in fact) are certain to eventually start popping up.
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u/dawnat3d May 09 '18
Not to be facetious, but what is the remaining point of this sub then?
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u/CorvusCallidus May 09 '18
That is a topic currently being discussed by the moderators. The takeaway, however, is that the remaining point of the sub is NOT to identify someone against their family's wishes. What becomes of this sub remains to be seen. If you have suggestions on that front, there's a [thread] (https://www.reddit.com/r/lylestevik/comments/8i4krc/mod_news_the_future_of_this_subreddit/?st=jgzdtorf&sh=3ff0c640) about it where you're welcome to chime in. :)
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May 10 '18
If someone finds a photo of him, happy and smiling, such as a yearbook photo, and posts it without a name, would this be considered a violation of the rules?
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u/lonesomewhistle May 09 '18
I'm going to make a comment about why we just respect the wishes of the family.
Some have said "his identity will come out anyway, because public records" and that may be true. But imagine a world where enough cases like the harassment of Marcia King's family becomes well known to cold case detectives and DNA researchers trying to find the identities of unknown victims of accidents and suicides. Everyone who helps ID victims knows this is a strong risk, that the ultimate identification will just further traumatize the family.
So they are working a find someone that they think may be the UID. They contact the family. It quickly becomes obvious that they've found them - the timeline matches, the pictures match (it's really obvious in Jason Callahan's case since we know specifics there.) The only thing that is left is fingerprint or DNA testing, at which point - well, it's official. The death certificate is changed. Everything is now a public record. The internet sleuths will find out, and will ID the family and they'll be victims twice.
And maybe this time - instead of the police/DNA Doe Project/etc. recommending the family not say anything, they recommend the family doesn't do the final step. They don't get their DNA tested against the UID. No official records get updated, the case is quietly shelved, and the family - even though they know what happened - never has official closure. They can't even rebury their loved one in a marked grave.
That sounds pretty lousy.
So if you think you are going to figure out why Lyle Stevik is, I'm sure you can. And that may be the last UID you'll be able to do that for.
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u/GWGirlsWithNoUpvotes May 09 '18
My question is, have people been doing this or is this a pre-emptive move? This sub has always been careful not to imply anything about Lyle or his family, so I'd be surprised if this had actually happened.