Welcome to Crowdwits
Tomorrow marks 13 years since Emma Fillipoff vanished from downtown Victoria, BC. For over a decade, her family has searched for answers. For over a decade, potential witnesses may have stayed silent—uncertain if what they saw mattered.
This inaugural issue is dedicated to changing that.
Crowdwits brings you criminology research and real cases, translated from academic journals into actionable insights for the communities that need them most. Each issue explores the intersection of research and reality—and what we can all do to help.
In This Issue | November 27, 2025
📖 Featured Story
The Stranger Who Looked Back at Me: What I wish I’d done differently
🎓 Research + Resources: * Academic deep-dive: Crowdsourcing Criminology and the Emma Fillipoff case (free access) * AI-generated podcast discussion of the research and Emma’s case (14 min—worth your time!)
📞 Take Action
Where to report new information about Emma's case
🎬 Coming Soon
New 2026 docuseries on Emma's disappearance
👀 Next Issue (Dec 11)
[Institutional Corruption… and aliens?]
Featured Story:
The Stranger Who Looked Back at Me: What I wish I'd done differently
In the summer of 2015, I was sitting on a picnic table in Beacon Hill Park, deep into reading an article, when something made me look up. A person was lingering near the bushes at a distance. I felt watched. I returned to my reading. When I looked up again, they had apparently circled around me and were now walking away—looking back at me.
It was unsettling.
After they left, I tried to place who that was. The thought crossed my mind: Could that have been Emma Fillipoff?
Six months earlier, I'd worked on a CBC The Fifth Estate documentary trying to help find her. She had vanished from downtown Victoria in November 2012, leaving behind a family desperate for answers. But I quickly dismissed the thought. What were the odds? There's no way, I told myself.
That brief moment still bothers me. I know the research on eyewitness misidentification—how memory plays tricks, how our brains fill gaps with what we expect to see rather than what's there. I'm pretty confident it wasn't her.
But still. In hindsight, I wish I had just shouted, "Hey, are you Emma?"
I bring this up because it touches on a dilemma that doesn't get discussed enough:
What are you supposed to do when you think you see someone who's been missing for years?
We know the protocol for spotting someone on a "Most Wanted" list: don't approach (they might be dangerous), call authorities, keep your distance. It's drilled into us through crime shows and PSAs.
We also have a general sense of what to do if we encounter a child from an AMBER Alert—call 911, act quickly, time is critical.
But what about when you think—just think—you might have seen someone who's been missing for years?
The protocols become murkier. The confidence threshold becomes uncertain. A subjective element creeps in: Am I sure enough? What if I'm wrong? Will I look foolish? Will I waste police resources?
This uncertainty creates dangerous hesitation. Sometimes, that hesitation is the difference between a breakthrough and a sighting that goes unreported.
Emma: Time of Disapperance
When Fear Keeps Witnesses Silent
In 2018, more than five years after Emma vanished, a driver finally reported what he'd been afraid to share: he'd given a ride to someone matching Emma's description in the predawn hours after she went missing. He dropped her at a gas station miles west of downtown, farther from where she'd last been seen. The woman appeared to be heading away from the city.
Five and a half years.
Why did he wait so long? Because he was afraid. Afraid that coming forward would make him a suspect. Afraid that helping her might somehow implicate him.
This fear is understandable—but it illustrates a critical problem. Fear of being wrong, fear of looking suspicious, fear of wasting time: these fears silence witnesses every day. In cases where leads are scarce and years have passed, even small information can reignite an investigation.
Emma: 10 Year Age Progression (Hew Morrison Forensic Art, 2023)
The Confidence Spectrum: Where's the Threshold?
When we think we see a missing person, we exist somewhere on a spectrum of certainty:
"I'm not sure at all" – You catch a glimpse of someone who vaguely resembles a missing person from a poster or social media.
"Maybe... possibly?" – There's a stronger resemblance. Something about their mannerisms or features feels familiar, but you can't be certain.
"I really think that was them" – The resemblance is striking, the context fits, your gut says something.
"I'm quite confident" – You had a clear view, multiple points of comparison, and the circumstances align with what you know.
The question is: Where on this spectrum do we need to be before we report what we saw?
The answer might surprise you: Lower than you think.
Looking back at that moment in Beacon Hill Park, I realize my biggest mistake wasn't being wrong about whether it was Emma—it was letting uncertainty silence me entirely.
What You Should Do: A Practical Guide
The good news: you don’t need certainty to make a difference. Law enforcement would rather have ten tips that turn out to be nothing more than miss the one tip that could solve a case. You’re not “wasting their time”—you’re potentially providing a crucial piece of a puzzle.
Here’s what to do based on your level of certainty:
"Not sure at all" – Report if you have specific details (location, time, physical features, context)
"Maybe/Possibly" – Definitely report. Explain both your uncertainty AND what made you notice
“I think that was them” – Report immediately with as much detail as possible
“Very confident” – Call 911 immediately; try to keep person in sight safely if possible
The key takeaway: A lower threshold than you think. Even “not sure at all” can be worth reporting if you have concrete details. For specific contacts and reporting methods for Emma’s case, see the Take Action section below.
🎓 Research + Resources:
Want to understand the research behind Emma’s crowdsourcing missing person investigation? Article on how online communities are changing missing persons investigations—and what Emma's case revealed about the future of collaborative crime-solving.
Free Access. Click Here → Crowdsourcing Criminology
🎧 AUDIO COMPANION (PODCAST)
Don't have time to read the full article? This AI-generated podcast distills the research into an engaging 14-minute conversation. Two hosts discuss:
✓ Key findings from the research
✓ What makes crowdsourcing effective (and dangerous)
✓ Emma's case
✓ What this means for future missing persons cases
🎙️ 14 minutes | 🔊 Listen while walking, driving, or doing dishes [▶️ Play Episode Below]
📞 Take Action
Have Information About Emma's Case? Even if you're uncertain, please report it. Here's how:
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🔒 Anonymous Reporting
Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers (you don't have to leave your name)
☎️ Call: 1-800-222-8477 💻 Online: Click Here
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👮 Law Enforcement
Victoria Police Department (non-emergency line for missing persons tips)
☎️ Call: 250-995-7654
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👨👩👧 Direct to Family
Emma's Family via the following links:
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❓Need Help Deciding
Not sure or feeling hesitant? Email: [email protected]
I'll forward your information to the right people.
🎬 Coming Soon
A New Docuseries Aims to Bring Emma Home
Thirteen years of questions. Thirteen years of searching.
The Search for Emma Fillipoff premieres January 6, 2026—on what would be Emma's birthday. This comprehensive docuseries retraces her last known days and explores why her disappearance remains unsolved.
**The series features: Emma's family (including her mother Shelley), friends who last saw her, law enforcement investigators, and the University of Victoria fieldwork from this issue's research article.
First Episode: January 6, 2026 | Full Series: Later in 2026
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🎥 Watch Now: Companion Vodcast:
Emma's mother, Shelley Fillipoff, hosts an ongoing vodcast with behind-the-scenes content, extended conversations, and real-time case updates. Latest Episode (November 2024). For the latest Press on Emma’s case click here.
🔍 Next Issue: December 11
Institutional Corruption: Why We've Stopped Trusting Experts
I've studied institutional corruption for 15 years. But just last week, I found myself applying it somewhere unexpected: aliens.
Stay with me.
If aliens existed, would it matter who told you?
Would you need to see them with your own eyes? Would a government announcement be enough? A leaked video? A scientist's testimony? A Reddit thread with 10,000 upvotes?
This thought experiment reveals something real: institutional corruption has so deeply eroded our trust that many of us no longer know who to believe—about anything.
How does this connect to everyday expertise and the professionals we're supposed to trust?
That’s the December 11 issue.
- Garry C. Gray
