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Subscribe to RSSCLEVELAND -- Authorities identified the body of an Ohio man Saturday who could be the third victim of a bogus Craigslist website ad that lured two jobseekers to their deaths.
The body of Ralph H. Geiger, 56, was found in a shallow grave Nov. 25 in the same area another body was found earlier in the month in the heavily wooded area in southeastern Ohio, Noble County Sheriff Steve Hannum said.
Hannum, under a gag order from a judge, did not say whether Geiger answered the same ad promising farmhand work that authorities say led to the deaths of two other men.
"Recent events of an ongoing investigation led authorities to Mr. Geiger's gravesite," Hannum said in a statement.
The body of Geiger, whose last known address was Akron, Ohio, was the third found in Ohio that might be linked to the Craigslist ad.
A South Carolina man, Scott Davis, survived a shooting attack in rural Noble County, Ohio, on Nov. 6 when he answered an ad looking for a ranch hand. Davis was shot while running away from two men he met when he responded to the ad.
One of the three bodies was found in a shallow grave on Nov. 15 near where Davis was shot; it was identified as David Pauley, 51, of Norfolk, Virginia. A second body was found in a shallow grave on Nov. 25 behind a semi-deserted mall in Akron, Ohio.
The third body, Geiger's, was also discovered Nov. 25. A coroner's report released on Saturday said Geiger died of a gunshot to the head. No date of death was given but the report said the body was moderately decomposed. Geiger's family was notified.
After Davis survived the attack, 16-year-old Brogan Rafferty was arrested and charged with attempted murder and murder in juvenile court. His next hearing is Dec. 15.
Another man named by the FBI as a suspect in the shooting, Richard J. Beasley, 52, is in prison in Summit County, Ohio, on unrelated drug and prostitution charges.
The phony ad was posted on Craigslist Oct. 7 and offered $300 a week to "simply watch over a 688 acre patch of hilly farmland."
The case is under a gag order issued from a judge in Noble County, Ohio but the sheriff's office said they found Geiger's grave site through the ongoing investigation.
There have been several instances in recent years of attackers allegedly finding victims through postings on the classified ad website Craigslist.
In 2009, a former medical student was accused of killing a masseuse he met through Craigslist, and police have been hunting for at least one serial killer in the New York area thought to prey on prostitutes who advertised on the site.
This article contains reporting from The Associated Press and Reuters.
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"Florida authorities seek grotesque serial cat killer"
"Craigslist ad victim? Police identify another body"
I wonder if the two cases are connected???
Yeah; they are. They're both "sick" stories.
Three found. How many more? Ohio--again. Why is it Ohio so often? I live here, (and although I write on the vine now and then), but I'm not so warped to harm a soul. I know parts of the state are cursed, but it seems to be spreading.
Why are parts of Ohio cursed?
I live here. Clearly, several counties "reputations" precede them. Of course, nothing is lily white, but I watched one-too-many disaster for whatever reason or non-reason. Cursed is the only way to describe it.
I am sorry to say there is an ad on craigslist right now looking for a "female to watch over land in northern Cali in the Spring" but the guy wants potential employees to go up there now to check out the place. It could be legit. It probably isnt. How sad. A new way for potential serial killers to hone their apprenticeships. Its strange that he is only interested in females for the job...Gender discrimination??
mali-3943586
"Craiglist" should send a female investigator to "check out the place". If she returns they will know the ad is legit; if she doesn't... "OH SH_T".
One bad ad wipes out a million good ones or metaphorically speaking; One "OH SH_T" wipes out a thousand "ATABOYS".
mali - I hope you reported this to authorities in northern California?? They should at least be notified, even through law enforcement in your own area so they can be aware and hopefully investigate before there is a new victim in that area.
Who is really so stupid that they would respond to an ad like that? Seriously, do people not have an ounce of self-preservation or common sense anymore? I guess it's one way to cull the gene pool.
MeatEater - There ARE people who are desperate for work. Apparently you are not aware of this reality.
Desparation and S T U P I D I T Y, are two different things, ya know! Craigs list is a sleezy site for who@$%, hookers and theives (owned and operated)! Everyone knows that!
Something stolen.....look on Craigs List! Duuuuuuummmmmmbbbbbb!
My ex-wife, that's who
One way to cull the gene pool? You sound like you think these people were so stupid they deserved to die. What a cynical, hateful comment.
I said it before n I'll say it again ,this is a person or persons who place and ad use the men for employment n instead of paying them kills them off.I remember a movie from Alfred Hitchcock? Anyways if you see an ad that sound like a plot contact the police they will look into it n you may save someones life. Blessings..
Ok - so the way I see it is Craigslist needs shut down until they completely revamp their site or way or doing things. Yes, Craigslist is a FREE way to list and sell things, but really, how free is it?? I am always reading of rapes, attacks, abductions & murders believed to be linked to a Craigslist ad, and often proved to be related in the end. But I never read of crime believed to be linked to an Ebay ad. Sooo.............???? Folks be warned - If you want to meet a stranger for business, then do it in a heavily polluted public place.
FedUp - I am coming around to your assessment of craigslist with each passing day. Way too much creepy stuff going on. And way too many naive (young or not) easily fall prey. Not everyone operates from the standpoint of wariness or suspicion. Lots and lots of trusting souls using this website every day.
Meat Eater, People are desperate for work right now. I think these people probably don't even think there could be trouble. Rather there thinking, 'Finally'!
THIS IS HORRIBLE ! ! !
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People should be more trustworthy. My Career as a Shopping Cart Retrival Engineer at Walmart in Toledo Ohio affords me valuable time to focus on my part time hobby of Photography. I'd like to purse this as a career, so please let me know what you think of my potential Craigslist ad:
WANTED: YOUNG 12-14 YEAR OLD BOYS LOOKING FOR A GREAT CAREER IN MODELING
You only need to show up at the Super 8 Motel in Copley Creek, room 217
Please bring the following:
12 pack of Schlitz Malt Liquor
3 pair of Underwear
Polaroid Camera
Parents NOT welcome.
Sad.... sick people in the world
Unfortunately, these predators are a little more crafty at composing their ads to draw unsuspecting people in. Then I have also seen ads (looking for room share (rental) that describes herself as "really cute girl" ... apparently not a really SMART girl...
Hey obama..I think someone could use your help as a farmhand, go check it out!....hehe
you go, do the world a favor...
Lance Texas - did your momma ever tell you that you're an idiot - what the devil has my President have to do with this? Little uneducated boy go back to school and get your degree in something I realize you live in Texas and your graduation is at the bottom, but if you persevere you might and I say might get educated - until then don't spew your ridiculous posts here
My President has an education you can only aspire to and I would imagine you could only pick cotton, shine shoes, or maybe McDonalds would hire you - the only thing you've got going for you is a computer to say dumb things
Barbara ADAMS-JACKSON I wonder if your last name has something to do with you calling him your President? You should vote for what he has done for you not based on nationality!
Anyone going to Craigs List for ANYTHING by themselves is S T U P I D!!!!
Pamela - Actually Craig's list is good for apartments and items to sell - they should abolish the employment section - there are better sites to find employment
It's unfortunate that people are so desperate for jobs that they would answer this ad without thinking of the possibility of extreme danger.
how any one can comment on the victims who were earnestly looking for work rather than on the evil deed done by such should I call "species" like these is beyond me. You obviously have no idea how it feels to be unemployed.
There are far more serial predators on Craigslist than this article mentioned. I know of several in San Francisco. For example, in 2009 somebody posted an ad in the jobs section to hire a caregiver to take care of his terminally ill uncle. The patient didn't exist. The person who posted the ad "hired" several of the candidates. Then he gave each woman a different address to go to, to start their new jobs. Each house had a different "patient", which were actually rapists. In other words, it was a sex trafficking ring. The FBI sexual crimes division in San Francisco was informed and they used the advertiser's cell phone number to identify him.
There is a different case that is similar. A man named Mike Harris in San Francisco posted an ad on Craigslist to hire a saleswoman who is "sexy." He requested resumes and asked the applicants questions about their work experience, and then he interviewed them at different locations throughout the city. Those job interviews always led to coercing them into having sex with him before the next step in the hiring process. Desperate job seekers accomodated his requests. After he had sex with them he did not take the next step in the hiring process. Instead, he gave them excuses to stall the hiring process, and while their application was put on hold he asked them to have sex with him again. An important note: Mike Harris refuses to wear condoms. Craigslist has been informed about Mike Harris several times and for some reason he was able to continue posting ads on their website.
There are two men in San Francisco named Richard Smith and Shawn Sanders who post ads on Craigslist promising free housing in exchange for caregiving or housekeeping services. They've been doing it for years. It appears that they do the same thing that Mike Harris does, which is to have sex with candidates during the interview process, but they never hire anyone. In other words, no one ever moves in with them. No one knows what happens to those candidates. They either have sex with them and walk away or they get killed or something. The suspects' names, Richard Smith and Shawn Sanders, are probably fake. No one knows what their real names are. But Smith is located in Pacific Heights and his email address is bigbullrider84@yahoo.com. Sanders is locaed in the Hayes Valley district and his email address is sfsanders80@gmail.com.
There is a similar case near Lake Berryessa. His name is Ron Mahoney but it's probably fake, and his email address is rondaddy369@yahoo.com. He has been resposting the same ad on Craigslist for years. It says that he and his wife/girlfriend need a live-in housekeeper. It's been going on for years and he has never hired anyone. No one knows what happens to those job candidates. They either go through the interview process (sex?) and don't get hired, or they get hired and get killed. Craigslist has been informed several times about this man and yet for some reason his ads kept reappearing.
This case is interesting: A car mechanic named Mark Sutherland who owns a repair shop called "Master Motorworks" in San Mateo or Belmont had posted a personal ad on Craigslist several times to trade repair services for sex. He calls himself "Alex." There is an Airstream trailer parked in his shop's parking lot. Women come over to get their cars fixed and he has sex with them in the trailer. He pretends to put on a condom in front of them and then he has sex without it. Sutherland has chlamydia and he spreads it to his partners. Craigslist was informed about Sutherland several times and yet for some reason he was able to continue to post ads on their website.
Why don't people take extra precautions when answering ads like this? I would definitely arm myself in some way,even a can of pepper spray may save your life. Let someone know where you're going so if you do not return they can send help. I wonder if Law Enforcement has uc's answering these ads. This guy must be caught! I can't get over how trusting people in times like this. Please people be extra cautious, there is a sick individual out there.
For nearly a century Ohioans have been dumping huge amounts of agricultural and industrial chemicals into the soil and waterways which has seeped into the groundwater with catastrophic consequences. Women in rural areas typically have difficulty conceiving. Over the broader general population mild mental retardation is common. So much so and over such an extended period of time that people haven't noticed. This is how George W. Bush was able to win the state in 2000. To the most seriously afflicted he looked positively brilliant. To most Ohioans these "rural types" setting up and robbing destitute men looks perfectly normal.
Hey Kevin....
...Put the Communist manifesto down, remove the Cream from your hands, put your underwear back on, close the computer, stand up, climb out of your parents basement, borrow a Quarter ($.25), walk outside....
....AND GO BUY A CLUE ! ! !
THIS IS HORRIBLE ! ! !
'
People should be more trustworthy. My Career as a Shopping Cart Retrival Engineer at Walmart in Toledo Ohio affords me valuable time to focus on my part time hobby of Photography. I'd like to purse this as a career, so please let me know what you think of my potential Craigslist ad:
WANTED: YOUNG 12-14 YEAR OLD BOYS LOOKING FOR A GREAT CAREER IN MODELING
You only need to show up at the Super 8 Motel in Copley Creek, room 217
Please bring the following:
12 pack of Schlitz Malt Liquor
3 pair of Underwear
Polaroid Camera
Parents NOT welcome.