Alyssa Smith, 24, reported missing after Chicago trip with boyfriend; police check sightings
Palatine, Illinois police are searching for Alyssa Smith, 24, reported missing on Sept. 30 after a Chicago trip with her boyfriend, who returned home without her. Police are checking possible sightings in Chicago, and no one has been accused of wrongdoing.
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The story, neutrally told
Right · 2Alyssa Smith, 24, of Palatine, Illinois, was reported missing on Sept. 30 after a trip to Chicago with her boyfriend, and the search had entered its second week by Oct. 8. New York PostR “Alyssa Smith, 24, was reported missing on Sept. 30 while on a trip to Chicago with her boyfriend. The search is now in its second week.” Read at New York Post ↗ Fox NewsR “The Palatine Police Department reports Alyssa Smith, 24, has been missing since September 30” Read at Fox News ↗ Right · 2Her mother, Rebecca Smith, said the boyfriend, Jacob Ray Caso, returned home without her. The New York Post reports that Caso is a tattoo artist in Crystal Lake, that he came home on Oct. 1 and that he searched the area where she was last seen. Fox NewsR “Her boyfriend, Jacob Ray Caso, returned home from Chicago without Alyssa, her mother, Rebecca Smith said.” Read at Fox News ↗ New York PostR “Caso, a tattoo artist in Crystal Lake, returned home without his girlfriend of 20 months on Oct. 1 and searched the area where she was last seen, Smith’s mom revealed.” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 2Fox News states that Caso has not been accused of any crime or wrongdoing. The New York Post says the circumstances of the disappearance remain unclear. Fox NewsR “Caso has not been accused of any crime or wrongdoing.” Read at Fox News ↗ New York PostR “The circumstances behind Smith’s disappearance remain unclear.” Read at New York Post ↗
Right · 1The New York Post says police reported that Smith last had contact with her mother three days before the Sept. 30 report. A missing-person appeal said she was last seen in Chicago's 11th district, between Cicero, Pulaski and Madison. New York PostR “three days after she last had contact with her mom, Rebecca Smith.”“last seen in Chicago’s 11th district “somewhere between Cicero, Pulaski and Madison,”” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 2Palatine police said detectives are actively investigating and following up on possible sightings. Fox News reports that she may have been seen on Saturday, Oct. 3, in the Grant Park area and near Cicero Avenue and Roosevelt Road, and that investigators are working to verify this. The New York Post reports sightings in Grant Park and on Chicago's West Side. Fox NewsR “reports indicate Smith may have been seen on Saturday, Oct. 3, in the Grant Park area, as well as near Cicero Avenue and Roosevelt Road.”“Investigators are working to verify these sightings and gather additional information on her current location.” Read at Fox News ↗ New York PostR “Palatine police said they’ve received reports that Smith was possibly spotted in Grant Park in Downtown Chicago and Chicago’s West Side.” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 2Police describe Smith as a White woman about 5 feet 5 inches tall, 135 to 140 pounds, with brown hair and eyes and several piercings and tattoos, including a Pennywise clown tattoo on her left shoulder. She was believed to be wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, light khaki pants or sweatpants and white Adidas sneakers. Both outlets say she appears to work at Chipotle. Fox NewsR “approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing between 135 and 140 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.”“white Adidas sneakers” Read at Fox News ↗ New York PostR “Smith, a Chipotle Mexican Grill worker” Read at New York Post ↗
Right · 1Caso has posted appeals online, including "Time to come home b. No one is mad at you." The New York Post says he shared posters claiming Smith was identified from a TikTok video, without further context, and that a post on Wednesday claimed an anonymous tip said she had been found alive. Police have given no further update on that tip. New York PostR ““Time to come home b,” he wrote in a Facebook post Friday. “No one is mad at you.””“A post shared on Wednesday claimed an anonymous tip of Smith being found alive had been submitted. Palatine Police have not provided any further update.” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 1Rebecca Smith said her daughter is "still missing" despite the reported sightings. She said the family will keep looking until Alyssa is found and her safety is confirmed, and she urged people to stop debating the circumstances in social media comments. New York PostR ““Until Alyssa herself is found and her safety is confirmed, we will keep looking.””“urging social media users to stop “debating the circumstances [of her disappearance] in the comments.”” Read at New York Post ↗ Right · 2Family posters mentioned a possible black eye, which police did not confirm. Fox News said it had contacted Caso and the Palatine Police Department. New York PostR “but police didn’t confirm the markings.” Read at New York Post ↗ Fox NewsR “Fox News Digital has reached out to Caso and the Palatine Police Department.” Read at Fox News ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left0 outlets
No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right2 outlets
- Framing
- Both outlets lead with the boyfriend returning home without Smith, in the style of a missing-person appeal, and cite the family, police and social media. The New York Post adds more personal and social media detail. Fox News stresses police statements and that Caso is not accused of wrongdoing.
- Emphasis
- The boyfriend's return, possible sightings in Chicago, physical description and a request for tips; the Post adds the dating history and online posts.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither outlet reports any police statement on a cause or suspect. Fox does not mention the black eye claim or the TikTok and anonymous-tip posts. The Post does not state that Caso has not been accused of wrongdoing.
- Charged language
- “vanishing”“ominously”“desperate appeals”
- For example
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“Smith’s family members shared missing person posters that ominously mentioned Smith having a “possible black eye” — New York Post
“Caso has not been accused of any crime or wrongdoing.” — Fox News
What every side reports
- Alyssa Smith, 24, has been missing since Sept. 30, according to Palatine police.
- She went to Chicago with her boyfriend, Jacob Ray Caso, who returned home without her.
- Possible sightings in Grant Park and elsewhere in Chicago are being reviewed.
- Smith appears to work at Chipotle and has a Pennywise clown tattoo.
Where accounts differ
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Where and when Smith was possibly seen
- Right
- The New York Post cites sightings in Grant Park and on the West Side, and an unconfirmed claim that she was found alive. Fox cites Oct. 3 sightings near Grant Park and Cicero and Roosevelt, which police are still verifying.
Alyssa Smith person
Smith is missing. Her mother says she will be treated as missing until she is found and says she is safe.
“we will continue to consider her missing and continue looking for her,”” — New York Post
Left0 articles
No coverage yet.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right2 articles
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Illinois restaurant worker Alyssa Smith missing after vanishing on Chicago trip with boyfriend
Mixed Detailed missing-person report that stresses the boyfriend's solo return, social media appeals and unverified sightings, with some dramatic wording.
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Illinois woman disappears on trip with boyfriend who returned home without her, mother says
Neutral Police-sourced missing-person notice that notes the boyfriend is not accused of wrongdoing and that sightings are being verified.
- 8 Oct 09:07 First New York PostR Illinois restaurant worker Alyssa Smith missing after vanishing on Chicago trip with boyfriend
- 8 Oct 20:01 +10h 54m Fox NewsR Illinois woman disappears on trip with boyfriend who returned home without her, mother says
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.