Social Media Witness Canvass

After a car wreck, slip and fall, assault, fire, or workplace accident, the people who saw it often say so online. They post a photo of the scene, upload a short video, or comment on a local news story: "I was right behind them." Those posts can lead you to witnesses no one else has found, but they don't stay up for long.

A Social Media Witness Canvass is a structured search of public online sources for people who saw, filmed, photographed, or posted about your incident. We document what we find and preserve it, so you can identify potential witnesses and secure evidence early.

Michael Hebert Investigations | Michael "Higgins" Hebert, Licensed Louisiana Private Investigator, PI License #7047-021209-LA | Lafayette, LA

Who It's For

  • Plaintiff attorneys: finding independent witnesses and scene media to support liability
  • Insurance defense attorneys: testing claims against what was publicly posted at the time
  • Criminal defense attorneys: locating bystanders and video that may not be in the police file
  • Civil and family law attorneys: documenting public posts tied to a specific event
  • Insurance adjusters: identifying witnesses and media early in the claim

What We Search

We search public content only. Here is what each source can and can't do:

  • X (Twitter): Keyword and date-range searches of public posts using street names, intersections, landmarks, and terms like "wreck" or "crash." Few posts are geotagged, so we search by location keywords rather than by a map radius.
  • Facebook and Instagram: These platforms don't allow searching by radius or zip code. We review public posts, public pages and groups (local news such as KATC, KLFY, KADN, and The Advocate, plus community, scanner, and neighborhood groups), comment threads on news posts, public hashtags, and location tags. News comment threads are often where witnesses speak up.
  • Other public sources: Reddit (such as r/Lafayette), public Nextdoor posts that appear in search results, public YouTube and TikTok videos, news articles and reader comments, and public police and traffic alerts.

How It Works

  1. Intake. You give us the date, time window, exact location, a description of the incident, and the parties' names if you're allowed to share them.
  2. Search terms. We build a list of keywords and location terms: street names, nearby businesses, and the local names people actually use.
  3. Search. We search each platform across the time window, usually from the day of the incident through 7–14 days after.
  4. Capture and preserve. We save every relevant item with a date/time-stamped screenshot and a link, and archive it so it's preserved even if the original is deleted.
  5. Analyze and rate. We review each item and rate how relevant it is.
  6. Report. You receive a confidential PDF report.
  7. Optional follow-up. If you want, we locate and interview potential witnesses and help with preservation letters.

What You Receive

A confidential PDF report that includes:

  • An executive summary of the findings
  • Each relevant post, with its link, a date/time-stamped screenshot, the poster's name or handle, and what they said
  • A relevance rating for each item: Possible Witness, Has Media, Secondhand, or Not Relevant
  • Recommended next steps, such as preservation letters, subpoenas, and witness interviews

All screenshots are archived, so the record holds up even if a post is later removed.

Pricing

Starting at $450

The Standard Canvass covers a single incident at one location with a 14-day search window. The report is delivered in 3–5 business days. Expanded canvasses (longer windows or multiple locations), rush turnaround, and witness follow-up are available. Call or email for a quote on your matter.

Why Act Fast

Public posts get edited, deleted, or made private, sometimes within hours. Comment threads get cleaned up, and videos come down. The sooner we start, the more likely we are to find the content and preserve it, and the sooner you can send preservation letters or pursue subpoenas for the original files. A canvass can still turn up useful leads weeks later, but results usually drop off over time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you access private profiles or closed groups?

No. We review public content only. We don't create fake accounts, send friend or follow requests to gain access, hack, or pretext. Every source in the report is something the public can see.

Can you search everything posted within a certain distance of the incident?

Not on most platforms. Facebook and Instagram don't offer a radius or zip-code search, and very few X posts are geotagged. We work around this by searching local news pages, community groups, comment threads, hashtags, location tags, and location-specific keywords such as street names, intersections, and nearby businesses.

Are the people you find confirmed witnesses?

No. The report gives you leads, not verified testimony. Each item is rated so you can see who may have seen the incident firsthand, who has photos or video, and who is repeating what they heard. If you want, we can locate and interview the most promising people.

What if a post gets deleted after you find it?

We capture a date/time-stamped screenshot and a link for every relevant item and archive it, so you keep a record even if the original is removed. To obtain the original files or account data, counsel may want to send preservation letters or subpoenas, and the report recommends where.

How soon should I contact you?

As soon as possible after the incident. Content can disappear quickly, and early engagement gives the best chance of finding and preserving it.

Request a Social Media Witness Canvass

Tell us the date, location, and what happened, and we'll explain what we can search and what it will cost.

Call: 337-258-3392

Email: mikehebert.257@gmail.com

Web: www.hebertinvestigations.com

Michael Hebert Investigations | Michael "Higgins" Hebert, Licensed Louisiana Private Investigator, PI License #7047-021209-LA | Lafayette, Louisiana