I wouldn't call it virtue signalling, people feel they want to do something, standing in some way with the victim & particularly feel for this young woman who was most likely conned into the man's car. To call it a horrific case is an understatement. It's frightening. It's also depressing.
We know not all men are murderers and/or sex offenders, not all women are like Rose West. They are a tiny minority, the majority of people would never in a million years do anything like that or even think of it.
For the record I've never noticed heck-as-like being misogynistic. I can only assume he once said something clumsy on here which has remained unforgiven.