Putting "READ OP" on like every single topic that diverges from arguing about game reviews is just such an archaic way to handle a conversation. I'm not saying you can't do it, or the thread bookmarks, but this place really comes across like a class school room at times.
If the forum is going to ask about 30 mods to steer the ship, then if you want a more natural way of handling things mods should (most of the time) simply be quoting posters and engaging. Either telling someone to stop something/explain further and so on.
Just banning everything is incredibly "lazy" at times. Outside of clear alt-accounts/burner accounts. And yes, I understand not being happy with victim blaming or the just asking questions the second this was reported, but on the other hand, will there be any self-reflection at all from what gets coined as "ban honeypots" like this event? It is okay at times for mods to hit the post reply button, rather than the moderate button.
Even I thought this sounded comically evil from the start, but I kept my mouth shut and just looked on hoping your cops would either find who done it or find out what happened. Only then did I comment. But in hindsight, I ain't going to sit here and lie and say on initial reporting my brain didn't think "Jesus, that sounds both horrific and comically evil". From the start, there were one or two details that seemed over the top given the time, weather, surroundings (heavy Democrat area) and reporting. None of that meant you had to 100% believe it was lies, but it was natural to think/articulate your thoughts stating some of the reporting was intense/strange.
Of course, some of that was down to the terrible gossip like reporting telling the public something different every 2 seconds.