YouTuber Marina Joyce has been found after being reported missing on Friday August 9th, having not been seen since July 31st.
Her boyfriend and fellow YouTuber Brandon Mehmed let worried fans know she had been found in an Instagram post, and also mentioned Marina would be releasing a video soon to explain what had happened in a subsequent post.
This isn't the first time the internet has been in a frenzy over Marina. Back in 2016, Marina Joyce fans worried about her well being started using the hashtag #savemarinajoyce to raise awareness.
It seems that the concerns initially began when Marina posted a video which many of her fans interpreted as containing a secret plea for help. In the video, entitled ‘Date Outfit Ideas’, they felt that she appeared to be disorientated and ill at ease.
Online speculation began that Joyce was being held against her will and there was much discussion about whether or not she whispered ‘help me’ in the video or appeared to have bruises on the backs of her arms.
Mounting discussion and concern about Marina’s safety on Twitter using the hashtag #savemarinajoyce became so great that the police got involved – they visited her to allay fears and confirm that the YouTube star was indeed OK.
They tweeted:
Conspiracy theories online ran wild. Some fans, bizarrely, even feared she had been kidnapped by ISIS while others speculated about her mental health and wondered whether drugs were involved.
At the height of all this panic and frenzy Joyce decided to organise a morning party in Bethnal Green at 6.30 in the morning. She invited her followers to join her saying ‘tweet now if you wanna party with me’. This further fuelled concern as fans who aren’t from London became somewhat confused as to both where and what Bethnal Green is, concluding that it was ‘a hoax.’ There are certainly legitimate questions about this – namely, who organises a meet up at 6.30am?
After that, Marina directly addressed all of the concern and rumours in an attempt to put her #SacredMoonCatTribe at ease and stop speculation once and for all:
Speaking to The Sun at the time she said:
‘I care about my YouTube channel and after this I have got lots more viewers which is really good.’
‘But I am really OK. There are no ISIS terrorists here.’
Marina’s Mum has also spoken out to reassure the world that her daughter is just fine, describing the entire debacle as a ‘frenzy’.
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.