Models, bring an escort with you whenever you have a photo shoot.

[Pete DJPJ]

http://www.onlinesentinel.com/news/predators-lurk-on-internet_2011-...

 

August 29

Predators lurk on Internet

Case of missing Maine woman highlights importance of taking safety precautions

By David Robinson [e-mail]
Staff Writer, Morning Sentinel

FREEPORT -- An aspiring model once asked Tobi Nichols whether it was safe to meet with a stranger. Specifically, whether it was safe to meet with a man searching the Internet for women open to doing a photo shoot in a strange location.

click image to enlarge

MISSING: Christiana Melusine Fesmire, who has been missing since July 1, 2011 had been active on a website for aspiring models, and while police have not ruled the case suspicious yet, investigators are looking at the site for leads.

Contributed photo

Select images available for purchase in the
Maine Today Photo Store

ONLINE SAFETY

• Consider any information you post on the Internet as immediately being available to strangers.
• Think about what information you can actually prove about an online acquaintance, before even considering a meeting in real life.
• Don’t rely on Internet searches to confirm the identity of a stranger you plan to meet in real life. Someone who is an Internet criminal likely knows how to cover up the false identity they build up online.
• Compare what you know about a friend in real life to someone you met online. For example, you’ve met a friend’s family, neighbors, co-workers or relatives and know where that person lives or works in the real world. That’s very different from what someone sends you in emails or posts on websites.
• Never meet an online acquaintance in a remote place. Always insist on a public place and bring a friend or family member along.
• Parents should try to limit the time children spend on the Internet without supervision, and they should install programs that monitor their children’s activity on the Internet.    
• Never share financial information online without first checking with a real-life representative from your bank.
• Call police whenever you’re suspicious of something that happened online.

Source: Sgt. Glenn Lang, Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit

INFORMATION

More information on the missing person case of Christiana Melusine Fesmire from her mother Deborah Fesmire and the Lewiston Police Department: Fesmire, 22, is approximately 5 feet, 5 inches tall, has a slim to athletic build, long dark hair and blue eyes. She has a tattoo of a turntable on her right shoulder blade and a peacock feather on her right calf. Fesmire was last seen July 1 by friends she was living with in Lewiston. Investigators said anyone with information about Fesmire should call Lewiston Police Detective Roland Godbout at 513-3001, ext. 3319 or their local police.

Nichols, who owns a modeling agency in Freeport, found it baffling that the young woman didn't immediately dismiss the idea and the man she met on a social networking website for aspiring models.

"There was a guy saying he was a photographer who wanted to meet her in a cemetery at midnight. What was shocking to me was that she called and asked me what I thought about that," Nichols said.

What may be even more surprising is how common these stories are with people of all ages, many of them desperate to break into show business, who use the Internet to set up meetings with strangers offering a ticket to fame, according to Nichols and others in the modeling business.

A 22-year-old woman from Maine reported missing this summer had been active on a website for aspiring models, and while police have not ruled the case suspicious yet, investigators are looking at the site for leads.

Fame-seekers aren't the only ones vulnerable, however. A significant number of people nationwide are victims of crimes every day because of real life encounters set up via cyberspace, according to a Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit official.

Law enforcement agencies dedicated to computer crimes have seen hundreds of these cases annually in recent years, ever since people started relying more on the Internet to make friends, build professional relationships and communicate, according to state police Sgt. Glenn Lang, with the computer crimes unit.

But getting people to realize the dangers of turning Internet relationships into real life encounters is a constant struggle as the online realm constantly evolves and developes new ways for criminals to take advantage of others, Lang said.

"What it really comes down to is that everyone should try to be aware of the pitfalls and the dangers of (the Internet)," Lang said.

Dangerous dreams

Nichols, who owns Utobia Model & Talent Inc., is worried that some people are even more apt to ignore danger when going online to chase dreams or make personal connections.

"Like a lot of these young girls who want to be models, they're looking for opportunities and in their eagerness they tend to not use common sense," she said.

Police are looking at a website used by the missing Maine woman, who was last seen July 1 in Lewiston, where she was living with family friends.

Christiana Melusine Fesmire has a profile page on the website Model Mayhem, where she posted photos of herself and a request seeking to make contact with photographers and other people in the modeling business.

Fesmire was reported missing shortly after she didn't show up at a Fourth of July family get-together in Rangeley. Family and friends say they have not heard from her since.

Investigators say the website Fesmire used is a legitimate networking tool for photographers, models and other people in the business, but they also believe that, like any other website where people can interact with strangers, it can lead to dangerous situations.

Deborah Fesmire, the missing woman's mother, is convinced that her daughter would have contacted family and friends by now if something wasn't wrong.

The 60-year-old mother of four said her daughter had been hoping to make a living as a model.

The missing woman used to have photographers come to the family's home in Bremen to introduce them to her parents before going on a photo shoot. She lived at home until December, when she moved to Lewiston, the mother said.

While investigators have not told her anything about the website connection, Deborah Fesmire said she is worried it may have exposed her daughter to dangerous people.

"There's always some bad guys out there no matter what state you live in," she said.

'It can be abused'

Kevin Couture is among the many people who have profiles on Model Mayhem.

The 45-year-old from Skowhegan makes his living as a photographer, shooting mostly weddings, family portraits and high school seniors' class pictures. He also does freelance work for the Morning Sentinel and other publications in Maine.

He presents himself online as a professional photographer, and is contacted about twice a month by aspiring models who want to meet for a photo shoot, he said.

Couture describes people who use the website as a mix of professionals, amateurs and wannabes, or those who have no experience with modeling. The problem with using the Internet to set up legitimate business meetings, while avoiding dangerous situations, is determining the difference, he said.

"It is a great way to connect with professional people, but it can be abused," Couture said of Model Mayhem.

Couture conducts phone interviews before he meets with models who email him through the website. He asks them questions about everything from work experience to details about the photo shoot, he said.

People who are experienced models will always say they bring a chaperone to shoots, and they will be able to show him past work or references, according to Couture. He only works with people who can meet these types of requirements, he said.

But there are people who contact Couture who are willing to meet pretty much anybody, which can be dangerous, he said.

"If there was somebody who wanted to prey on young females and males, they could definitely use this (website) as a tool," Couture said.

'Getting caught up'

The Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit has assisted in hundreds of cases involving relationships that started online and resulted in crimes, according to Lang.

Lang didn't have data on the number of cases, but called it a significant problem faced by law enforcement agencies nationwide. He said his agency has four detectives, four forensic examiners dedicated to computer crimes.

There are ongoing computer crimes cases in Maine, for example, investigating missing persons, sexual assaults and people being scammed out of their life savings, Lang said. He declined to talk about specific cases.

"We do have a fair number of cases where kids have gotten themselves in trouble going out of state with somebody they don't know," he said. "And we've helped other agencies with sexual assault cases where (the person) met up with a stranger and something terrible happened."

Many criminal investigations, including missing person cases, will look at how a victim used the Internet and their online accounts to try to find leads, according to Lang.

He said this attention to online behavior is directly tied to the growing amount of information people are posting in cyber space, making it easier for criminals to access personal details.

People are sharing personal details about their lives on Facebook, for example, ignoring that some of the friends they approve to access their profiles are basically strangers, Lang said.

"We've seen a significant number of cases where people put too much information out there, a lot of people kind of pride themselves by how many friends they have on Facebook," he said.

Some people think they can trust someone after communicating with them online for an extended period, and they become victims of crimes because they don't recognize how easy it is for people to lie about their identity on the Internet, according to Lang.

"People are getting caught up in the cyber relationship and transferring that into the real world," he said.

David Robinson -- 861-9287

[e-mail]

[Honey B Hooligan {Madam}]

augh, this breaks my heart, and really messes it up for all the ACTUAL professionals out there sincerely trying to network. I'll pray for her family, and for her. :(

[The Trousseau]

Big sigh.  Seriously, some people suck.  Sometimes I don't want to hear the news or even turn on my computer because people suck so bad. 

 

This, however, does not mean that you always have to bring an escort.  I went on a gazillion internet dates before I met the right one.  Most were quite nice, and only a few were seriously goofy. All were benign.  Modeling assignments are much like internet dates-- the same rules apply. And really, if a psychotic sees one pretty girl and gets excited, what do you think happens when he sees two pretty girls?

 

First, don't go to some d00ds house or hotel room alone without checking him out completely.  References count.  Don't get in his car.  Think like your mother because she is right-- if it could happen to her, it could happen to you.  Do a meet and greet first, and listen to what he doesn't say.  Make sure you have enough information on him to check to see if he is lying or giving you enough information.  Don't tell him anything about you-- and if you do, lie.  Seriously.  You live with a former college football player who was brain injured before he could make it to the big leagues and now has a bitter vendetta on anyone who might cross him.  (Okay, so maybe not that wild, but certainly don't tell him you live alone and your family never calls or checks on you.) 

 

The most important thing is to listen to exchange of power.  That is a hard thing to delineate in a forum, but you want to hold on to the power to walk quickly away if you have to.  Give him trust in tiny steps and make sure that trust is earned.  You should have more verifiable information on him than he has on you.

 

If you can't absolutely verify his trustworthiness, then consider taking an escort-- but that even then, it is sometimes a problem. 

[Miss Va-Voom Vintage]

This is such a good post. I -always- bring an escort, no matter what. Even if it's a chick that I'm meeting. I have 2 babies at home and no silly photo shoot is worth them being without a mother. If a photographer has a no escort policy, they can find another model! There are plenty of photographers out there that are happy to have an escort along to help carry equipment, move sets, etc.

[Pete DJPJ]

Sad news.   ;(

 

Lewiston man charged with Fesmire death

By Daniel Hartill, Staff Writer

Published on Friday, Oct 14, 2011 at 12:12 pm | Last updated on Friday, Oct 14, 2011 at 12:12 pm

Buddy Robinson

- Androscoggin County Jail

Christina Fesmire

- Submitted photo

State and local police went to the apartment building at 36 Highland Ave. in Lewiston on Sept. 14, 2011 to look for clues at the last known address of Christiana Melusine Fesmire, who has been missing since early July. Robinson also lived at this apartment building at one time.

Buy a print

- Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — Police arrested a Lewiston man early Friday and charged him with the murder of 22-year-old Christiana Melusine Fesmire of Lewiston, missing since early July.

Lewiston and state police arrested Buddy Robinson, 30, of 688 Sabattus St., at 1:48 a.m. Friday. He was arrested at his girlfriend's home in New Gloucester, according to Steve McCausland, spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. Robinson is currently being held without bail at the Androscoggin County Jail.

Police said Fesmire's body has not been recovered.

Evidence gathered earlier by police at Fesmire's 36 Highland Ave. apartment, one of several Lewiston buildings searched, led police to believe Fesmire was murdered.

"(The evidence) was analyzed at the crime laboratory and that led us to the conclusion that she was likely killed inside the home and her body has been transported elsewhere," McCausland said. "We have not located her body but will continue to look for it," he said.

Robinson also lived at the 36 Highland Ave. location, which had at least two apartments, McCausland said.

Robinson was scheduled to appear at Androscoggin Superior Court at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Before her disappearance, Fesmire had been depressed about the death of a friend, according to earlier reports in the Sun Journal. It was considered out of character for her to vanish without a word to anyone, however, and Fesmire missed a family reunion in July that she had been looking forward to, according to previous reports.

On Friday, a Facebook page titled “Help Us Find Christiana Melusine Fesmire" set up by friends had 875 followers.

[e-mail]

[Sailor Leina]

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Escorts are always a must!

[Rich Newnham Photography]

I disagree with the point that escorts are a must. I have done shoots with various models without the need for an escort, and when I travel I don't allow them as I am solo, and the last thing I need is a boyfriend lurking around the shoot. I will always encourage models to bring a makeup artist if they feel the need to bring someone, someone who will creatively add to the shoot rather than distract. But I would say that it's important for models to check out that the photographer they are meeting is genuine.

 

I find it very sad that something like this can happen (esp for the model in question), and sad that it leads to a cynicism around what should be a fun creative process.