The article is somewhat lengthy. It involves a specific theory about a specific event. It addresses how the promulgation of a conspiracy theory can hurt individuals closest to the actual events. Take the time to read the whole thing and what it has to say about how conspiracy becomes the answer for some.
What Do You Say to a Roanoke Truther?

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/09/13/what-do-you-say-to-a-roanoke-truther.html?via=desktop&source=facebook
Chris was the boyfriend of Alison Parker, who was shot and killed on live television in August by a mentally ill man who had an invented grudge and easy access to firearms.
Chris is a friend from college. Chris and I hosted a radio show together.
Or, according to millions of conspiracy theorists online, Chris Hurst is a part of my imagination.
In the minds—and YouTube videos—of some conspiracy theorists, Chris is not a news anchor at WDBJ in Virginia. Chris, the videos say, is a “crisis actor" invented less than a month ago by the United States government as part of a false flag operation that will eventually allow the New World Order to take away every American citizen’s guns and force them into a life of subjugation and tyranny.