We've all heard of or seen the Lifetime movie based on a true story of the infamous Craigslist killer, Philip Markoff. Well as it turns out, the arrest of Markoff has not been the end of the "Craigslist killers."
Wednesday, March 18, a disturbing crime took place in Longmont, Colo. when a woman answered a Craigslist post in search of some baby clothes. The victim, Michelle Wilkins, a 26-year-old woman, was seven months pregnant. She arrived at the seller's home right before noon.
The seller was identified as Dynel Lane, a 34-year-old woman, who was a former nurse aide. Since this encounter, Lane has been accused of stabbing Wilkins and removing the fetus from her, leading to the death of the unborn baby.
Somehow, Wilkins was able to make a 911 call that saved her life and lead to the capture of Lane.
This is not the only crime that craigslist users have encountered just this year.
In January, an elderly couple from Georgia, June Runion and Elrey Runion, who also went by the name “Bud," found their dream car on Craigslist. It was a 1966 Mustang.
The couple drove three hours to meet the seller, but it turned out there was no car. The “seller" was then charged for the couple's murder.
Another crime involving a 21-year-old college student took place this past February. The young man named James Jones Jr. responded to an ad about an iPhone 6. The ad was posted for the sole reason of luring somebody in.
Jordan Baker, 18, Jonathon Myles, 19, and Kaylnn Ruthenberg, 21 were named the three suspects and then taken into custody. The trio were charged with murder, armed robbery, and aggravated assault against Jones.
There are thousands of successful transactions that take place through Craigslist each month, but users should still be cautious about who they might be working with on the other end.
Precautions can be made such as bringing a few people along when going to a buyer or a seller, or even making the transaction in a public place.
The Woodstock Police Department outside of Atlanta, Ga., for example, are now offering their parking lot and lobby as a safe place to make craigslist exchanges.
So next time you use Craigslist, make sure you take the necessary precautions to keep you out of harms way.
