Marina Joyce is a bubbly 19-year-old YouTuber based in London with over 600,000 subscribers. And her fans are growing increasingly concerned with her well-being after noticing several disturbing moments in her recent videos. The theories cover everything from kidnapping, an abusive boyfriend, to excessive drug use — all of which have culminated in the Twitter hashtag #SaveMarinaJoyce.
Her local London council confirmed that Joyce was safe, however, conflicting images and actions continue to emerge. In a YouNow livestream, Joyce again insisted she was alright, but some point out that there's a man watching her in the background, standing in the doorway. Joyce has also continued to make a heart signal with her hands, a sign her fans suggested was a code that she needs help.
The Gun & A Deleted Response
During a recent makeup tutorial, fans noticed that there's a gun in the back corner of the room against her nightstand. Some say the gun has been there since 2012, noting its presence in other videos. As you can see in this snapshot, a viewer asked if she was okay. She answered, "yes :)" but then added "no," in a now-deleted response.
Bruises On Her Body
Despite Joyce's insistence on Twitter that's she's fine, fans point to screengrabs where you can see bruises on her arms, in places people wouldn't normally bruise themselves accidentally.
The Man Behind The Camera & "Help Me"
In one video, Joyce is advertising a clothing line. Here you can see two major pieces of evidence that fans are suggesting confirm Joyce is in danger. First, you can see a man's hand on the left side of the screen. Not only does this imply there's someone with her, but he appears to be holding a script. This marks a big departure from the off-the-cuff style for which she became popular. You can also hear a whispered, "Help me." Both are in the first 20 seconds of the video below.
Joyce Seems To Look Off Camera & Become Frightened
This is completely speculative, and you'd have to review all the instances of this yourself. But this is one of the stronger examples.
If She's Okay, Why Isn't She Making A Video About It?
YouTuber Carmie made a video expressing his concern for Joyce, and brought up an interesting point: If she's alright, then why isn't she addressing her fans directly? He believes she's not in control of her own content.
The Heart As Cry For Help
Fans instructed Joyce to draw a heart on her hand in her next video if she's in danger. While an actual heart drawing didn't appear, she did wear a heart necklace and made the shape of a heart with her hands.
Update: Marina Joyce addressed her bruises in a livestream to her fans. Approximately 5:22 into the video, she says that the bruises are from "an accident" and she can't talk about it. Her mother later joins her to explain that Joyce simply bruises easily, and that claims she's in danger are "rubbish." The video was posted after police arrived at Joyce's home to investigate claims she may be experiencing abuse.
Update, July 27 5:30 a.m.: Joyce has checked in with her worried fans. The YouTuber tweeted that she's "totally fine" following fears from her followers that she was in danger. She'll also be hosting a livestream later today as well as a meetup with fans next week in London.
Could she really be in danger? I'd love to hear your thoughts so post them below and don't forget to upvote!
(Note: I wrote this article in more depth, then lost the whole thing, so i apologise if this is short :( )