Sources & Method
How a case enters the archive, and what we do and don't show.
What we rely on
Each case page lists the source types it relies on. A social media post on its own is never treated as a source.
- Court rulings and indictments (where publicly available).
- Official statements from police, gendarmerie and prosecutors.
- Reporting from established press outlets with a known masthead.
- Statistics published by public bodies and recognised civil society organisations (for the awareness screen).
Status labels
- Solved: those responsible were identified by a court ruling. If the ruling isn't final yet, the case page says so.
- Under investigation: an investigation or trial is ongoing. No one is presented as guilty at this stage.
- Unsolved: the perpetrator hasn't been identified, or the file remains open.
- Closed: the file was closed without a resolution, or the event wasn't the subject of a criminal case (e.g. major accidents and disasters).
What we don't show
- Exact addresses: locations are approximate, at city or district level.
- Identities of child victims and victims of sexual crimes: we use initials instead of names in these cases.
- Crime scene or body photographs.
- Speculation about suspects in unsolved cases.
The paranormal section
Legends and folklore are kept fully separate from the real case archive and marked "unverified". Nothing in that section is presented as a record of real events.
Updates and corrections
We update records as cases progress. If you spot an error, report it from the case page or write to [email protected]. Correction and removal requests from victims' relatives take priority.