Code of Conduct

Victims and their families are not props in a puzzle. They are human beings who lived full lives and whose families continue to carry the weight of unresolved loss. Every post, theory, and comment must reflect that awareness.

Sensationalism, morbid curiosity framed as investigation, and any content that exploits the details of a victim's death for entertainment will be removed without warning.

• Do not share graphic images, crime scene photos, or autopsy details for shock value
• Do not speculate about victims' personal lives in ways that imply they contributed to their own harm
• Approach family members' public statements with care — they are not required to participate in your investigation

Publishing, linking to, or requesting the private identifying information of any individual — whether a named suspect, a person of interest, a witness, or a private citizen — is an immediate and permanent ban offense. No exceptions.

This includes home addresses, phone numbers, employer information, social media profiles of private individuals, vehicle information, and any combination of details that could be used to locate or identify someone in the physical world.

• Do not post addresses, workplaces, or daily routines of any living person connected to a case
• Do not encourage members — here or anywhere else — to contact, surveil, or confront persons of interest
• Do not link to external content that doxxes or harasses individuals related to a case

Theories must be grounded in documented evidence, established timelines, or credible source material. Speculation is welcome and encouraged — but it must be clearly labeled as such, and it must be tethered to facts.

Wild accusations, claims presented as fact without sourcing, and theories built entirely on conjecture with no evidentiary basis degrade the quality of investigation for everyone. If you cannot explain what evidence supports your theory, it is not ready to be shared.

• Cite your sources — news archives, court documents, official reports, established case literature
• Label speculation explicitly: "my theory is…", "I think this is possible because…"
• Do not name living individuals as perpetrators without documented law enforcement or legal basis
• Do not present unverified information as confirmed fact

Disagreement is healthy. Harassment is not. You may challenge a theory — you may not attack the person presenting it. Cold Case Companion maintains a zero-tolerance policy for personal attacks, targeted abuse, and coordinated harassment.

This applies in all directions: between members, toward named suspects, toward victims, toward law enforcement, and toward families. Criticism of investigative decisions is allowed; abuse of individuals is not.

• Critique arguments and evidence, not people
• Do not use slurs, threats, or degrading language under any circumstances
• Do not coordinate with others to target, pressure, or intimidate any person inside or outside this community
• Report abusive content immediately rather than engaging with it

Moderators have full authority to remove content, issue warnings, restrict accounts, and permanently ban members whose conduct violates these rules or whose presence poses a risk to the community's integrity. Moderator decisions are not subject to public debate in the community forums.

If you believe a moderation decision was made in error, you may appeal privately via our contact form. Publicly arguing with or undermining moderation — including coordinating others to do so — is itself a conduct violation.

• Accept moderation decisions without public escalation
• Appeal privately via velatura.co/contact if you believe an error was made
• Do not create new accounts to circumvent a ban or restriction — this results in permanent exclusion

Some cases in this archive remain active investigations. Do not post information that could compromise law enforcement activity, warn potential suspects, or interfere with the legal process in any ongoing case.

If you have genuine new information about an unsolved crime, the right place for it is with law enforcement — not a discussion forum. Contact the relevant agency directly, or use established tip lines.

• Do not speculate about confidential sources, sealed records, or non-public investigative details
• Report actual tips to law enforcement, not this community
• Do not post content that could constitute witness tampering, jury contamination, or obstruction

Beyond the case-specific rules above, Cold Case Companion expects members to maintain the general standards that make serious collaboration possible.

• No spam, promotional content, or off-topic posts
• No AI-generated content presented as original analysis without disclosure
• No discussion of how to obtain illegal materials, access restricted records unlawfully, or conduct unauthorized surveillance
• No promoting or linking to content that monetizes victim suffering without their family's involvement or consent
• Use descriptive, accurate titles for posts — clickbait or misleading framing is removed

Claiming — or implying — that you are a law enforcement officer, active investigator, licensed private investigator, attorney, journalist, or any other credentialed professional when you are not is a serious breach of trust and a potential legal matter. It distorts how other members evaluate your contributions and can cause real harm to ongoing investigations or grieving families.

This also applies to impersonating other community members, case researchers with established reputations, or moderators. Credentials claimed in this community may be verified at moderator discretion.

• Do not claim law enforcement, legal, or investigative credentials you do not hold
• Do not imply insider knowledge of sealed records, confidential investigations, or non-public law enforcement activity you cannot substantiate
• Do not create accounts or post under the name or identity of another real person
• If you have legitimate professional credentials relevant to a case, you may share them — moderators can verify and badge accounts on request