Monday marks two weeks since 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas was last seen and WAAY 31 learned investigators have looked into nearly 1,000 tips so far.
One source of information for investigators has been Thomas' public Instagram profile. It's covered with quotes about love and relationships.
WAAY 31 wanted to know if Thomas' social media accounts could have hinted toward her relationship with her teacher Tad Cummins days, even weeks before she went missing.
Monday kicked off the International Symposium on Child Abuse in Huntsville and officials with the event told WAAY 31 social media and technology has changed the way law enforcement approaches child abuse.
Chris Newlin, the executive director for the National Children's Advocacy Center said while Thomas' posts may look concerning now with an active Amber Alert, it often takes individuals recognizing the tone of social media posts before something actually happens.
"On the front end you know that seems kinda strange or whatever, but doesn't maybe a call to action, but then when something happens you start going back, and that's been an issue in the child abuse field for quite some time," said Newlin.
The issue of not recognizing a child experiencing abuse or neglect isn't new, but the role technology now plays has changed things.
"So in child abuse cases often times there's evidence you know that you can look at and actually identify as opposed to maybe in the old days maybe it was a child's word versus somebody else's word, but if there's communication and their postings, a lot of times that can be evidence," said Newlin.
Newlin told WAAY 31 it's always better to report suspected abuse or even concerning online posts, rather than waiting for something to happen.
"When someone's reporting something they're not accusing someone they just have reason to suspect and then there are the authorities, our multi-disciplinary team members, who have a responsibility and are very, very well trained to investigate those allegations to determine if something happened," said Newlin.
