But it wasn’t just Reddit investigating the case from behind their computer screens, with Instagram users immediately examining the couple’s feeds, noticing irregularities and leaving comments on Gabby’s photos. “Every single Instagram post has the location tagged except for the last 2 which were posted after her family last FaceTimed with her,” one user wrote on her last picture posted on Aug. 25, sparking conversation, debate and unfounded theories.
(One of the clearest signs of just how interested the public became in this case? On the day her disappearance began making headlines, Gabby had 17,000 followers on Instagram. On Sept. 24, she had 1.1 million. Brian, meanwhile, is now at 376,000 followers, up from 7,000.)