During the past 24 hours, some online users have apparently searched for the obituary of Connor Betts, the alleged Dayton, Ohio gunman who killed nine, including his sister Megan Betts, and injured many more early Sunday morning.
As of 9:45pm Pacific on August 4, Google’s search prediction algorithm lists ‘Connor Betts obituary’ as the second result when simply searching for the name ‘Connor Betts’:
While viewing the search term in Google trends, you can see an increase in activity starting at around 7:00am Pacific on Sunday morning:
News website The Count recently published an article titled ‘Connor Betts’ 2014 Obituary Stirs Dayton OH Mass Shooting False Flag Rumors On Social Media.
It discusses an obituary of a man named Connor D. Betts who died in 2014 in Suffield, Connecticut.
The obituary is located on Legacy.com and is publicly available to view:
The information itself was reportedly first published in The Hartford Courant on February 23, 2014.
Interestingly enough, the name Megan Betts, who was one of the victims in the Dayton shooting, is listed as a sibling in the obituary from five years ago:
James LaPorta, a reporter from Newsweek, took to Twitter and attempted to debunk the claim that the man in the obituary was the same person as the alleged shooter, citing differences in their middle names and birth years:
I’m going to post same basic info about the #Ohio shooter because I’m seeing a growing trend online; false flags & fake news. Fact check: Connor D. Betts (L) from CT died Feb. 19, 2014 and was born in Feb. 1992. Connor Stephen Betts (R), the Ohio shooter, was born in Oct. 1994. pic.twitter.com/4ej12Nq1LZ
— James LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) August 4, 2019
An ABC News article also confirmed the suspected gunman’s middle name was Stephen:
The suspected shooter, identified by police as 24-year-old Connor Stephen Betts, allegedly carried out the massacre with a .223-caliber rifle that he legally purchased and had two drum magazines that had 100 rounds of ammunition combined, Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.
Still, some on social media weren’t entirely convinced:
But you mean to tell me they both have a sister named Megan? Eh… not really buying that one. Just a little too much of a coincident. And the fact that both pics look so much alike! pic.twitter.com/pBaD8c0auL
— Jill Lowe (@Jlowe1129Jill) August 5, 2019
Sounds like they got the reprogramming and new identity done in 5 years.
— RIGHT WING CYBER SHOGUN (@RIGHTWINGCYBER1) August 5, 2019
Thanks for clarifying. It is odd though they both have a sister Megan and bare a resemblance.
— DebL (@DebPatriot) August 5, 2019
Archive link (2) (3)
UPDATE #1: The Legacy.com web page may have been created on Sunday, August 4, 2019 –
According to Carbon Dating the Web, a Norfolk, VA university website that computes the creation date of any webpage, that page was created today. pic.twitter.com/gjM4iC4r2o
— Truthstream Media (@truthstreamnews) August 5, 2019
We ran a custom search string on Google. Here are the results –
UPDATE #2:
Yes, same first and last but different middle name and birthdates. The Megan Betts killed during Sunday’s shooting is more than ten-years younger than the one mentioned in the 2014 obit I.E. not the same person.
— James LaPorta (@JimLaPorta) August 5, 2019
UPDATE #3:
UPDATE #4: More information and analysis from social media –
Connor Betts. On the left, shooter in Dayton. Killed his sister named Megan. On the right, a young man from Connecticut who died in 2014, has a sister who is apparently still alive named Megan. Connor on the right died in accident on the job. Connor on the left shot by the cops. pic.twitter.com/vkmnckq1Ka
— I'mJustABiLL Eph 5:11 (@bchapman151) August 5, 2019
To be clear folks. This is two men. Both named Connor Betts. They have different middle initials. They are NOT the same person. They died 5 years apart. The fact they BOTH had a sister named Megan is spoopy for sure, but that’s it.
I posted this to clarify.
— I’mJustABiLL Eph 5:11 (@bchapman151) August 5, 2019
UPDATE #5: Here are two “fact-checking” articles debunking the conspiracy theory –
Did the Suspected Dayton Mass Shooter Actually Die in 2014?
No, the Dayton shooting suspect didn’t die in 2014
UPDATE #6: From Newsweek –
Debunking Conspiracy Theorists Who Believe The Dayton, Ohio Shooting Never Happened
Main Image Credit: Google
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