Citizens Take Crime Fighting Into Own Hands

August 6, 2007— -- A murdered father. A missing brother. Precious items stolen from one's home. These sorts of crimes are prompting ordinary citizens to fight back, and the weapon they're using is the Internet.

With police forces around the country trying to keep up with ever-growing case loads, people are taking matters into their own hands. i-CAUGHT introduces you to these individuals, and their stories.

Its now been 10 months since the brutal stabbing murder of popular Chicago dermatologist Dr. David Cornbleet. The beloved doctor was murdered inside his downtown office. There was no weapon left at the bloody crime scene but police and Dr. Cornbleet's son have one thing to work with; surveillance video showing the person they suspect is the killer coming and going from the building.

Dr. Cornbleet's son Jon has made it his mission to find the person who took his father so violently. He spoke to ABC News correspondent Don Dahler. Jon Cornbleet says the Chicago police have done an very good job with his father's case but added; "you know at the end of the day , if the police never solve the crime, to them it's not the end of the world. To me, I don't think I could live the rest of my life without this crime being solved."

So, armed with the video-tape of the man he believes killed his father, Cornbleet went to Myspace.com and posted the images he hopes will help find a killer. "based on the attack and how vicious it was this person is going to do it again and I can't let that happen to somebody else. I have to get justice for my father."

Angelika Taylor sprung into internet action as soon as she heard her brother was missing. She told ABC News that it was not like her 25 year old brother Gregory to be out of touch with the family even for a few hours. So when they failed to hear from him for a full day, Taylor knew something was horribly wrong. She also knew that San Diego police would not consider it a missing persons case for at least another day. " I knew something was I just knew I needed to act fast to find him". But she was in Northern California, her brother lived in San Diego.

She posted a bulletin on Myspace, connecting with thousands of people almost instantaneously and within two hours Taylor received a call from a cousin of a friend of a friend. The caller was a school bus driver who believed that she had seen the car mentioned in the bulletin. At that moment, the caller, who does not want to be identified, was driving toward that car and Taylor asked if she could stay on the line with her.