Family finds out they're living with wanted sex offender from Facebook post
By Jill Glavan
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (Jan. 20, 2015) - A wanted sex offender is in custody, thanks to a post on social media that made its way to a family in Wisconsin.
Jess Quilling and her husband told FOX59 they knew the guy they'd rented a room to didn't seem right. After about a month, they started to do some digging.
"His lies just kept piling and he couldn't keep track of (them)," Quilling said.
He'd been getting mail under different names, so the couple started to search them online. They tried different combinations until they came upon a Facebook post. On it, they saw Shawn Anderson's photo on a wanted poster for child molesting and incest.
"(I was in) shock. Disgusted. Rage is a good word," Quilling said.
The couple turned Anderson in. On top of everything, they live five hundred miles away in a small town in Wisconsin.
Indiana State Police told FOX59 that it was the family's instinct and relentless searches that cracked the case. They'd been looking for Anderson since December.
Steve Dubois, with Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana, said this case highlights how well social media can work in solving crimes.
"I've seen some of the worst pictures in the world, thinking there was no way anyone (could) identify this person. Then when it gets put on social media, within minutes ... we have five tips with the same name," Dubois said.
As for Quilling and her family, they're grateful Anderson didn't live with them for very long. She said it's a good thing the post popped up when it did.
"Even 20 years ago, there's no way we would've ever found him. ... He was planning on going down south, either to Florida or Kentucky ... and it was with a friend that had children," Quilling said.
The family and police said they'd advise everyone to share and post wanted posters on social media, even if its not from your area, because you never know who could see it.
[Originally published on fox59.com]
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