In less than 12 hours, the Jerauld County Sheriff’s office was able to identify a suspect captured on video surveillance following a January 2, 2025 incident at the Wessington Springs Elementary School. The rapid ID wasn’t due to the use of tools like biometrics, artificial intelligence or DNA technology — it was through the help of Facebook.
Shared over 200 times by Facebook users from the Jerauld County Sheriff’s official page, positive identification was made from a photo posted of a male figure standing at the rear of a pickup truck in the elementary school parking lot.
Because the incident at the elementary school is currently under investigation, Sheriff Jason Weber said he can’t elaborate with further details at this time. He can however, thank the hundreds of people who took the time to share the post made the morning of January 6, 2025. In a Facebook post later that afternoon, he said, “Thanks for all your help on the post from this morning. Suspect has been identified using all of your shares. Thank you!”
Weber said that while there are many tools law enforcement utilizes on a daily basis to conduct investigations, the simple act of using social media when appropriate can make a world of difference.
“Without Facebook I wouldn’t have been able to get this far in the investigation as I have already,” said Weber. “It has been tremendously helpful with this case.”