Suspected Craigslist Toll Now at 3 Dead, 1 Wounded
Timothy Kern has been identified as the latest victim.
Nov. 26, 2011 — -- As the suspected death toll among people who responded to a Craigslist ad rose today, other people who never heard back after answering the ad say they never imagined how lucky they were.
The discovery of two new bodies in shallow graves could bring to three the death toll from the Craigslist ad that police say lured victims into a lethal robbery scheme in Ohio.
One woman who responded to the ad, but never got a response, is counting her blessings.
"I just instantly got sick to my stomach, just thinking how lucky I was, because it could have very well been me had I gotten a response back," said Heather Tuttle of Ravenna, Ohio, who responded to the ad on Oct. 7.
Tuttle said she didn't know about the bodies until she got a call from the FBI.
"They just said they weren't sure if there was more victims or how many there was going to be in the end, but they know that a lot of people had responded to the ad," she said.
One of the bodies was identified today as Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon, Ohio, who answered a Craigslist ad. Kern has not been seen in over a week, according to FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson.
The Summit County Medical Examiner's office announced Saturday that Kern died from gunshot wounds to the head, according to the AP.
A caller's tip on Friday morning led police to Kern's body buried in a shallow grave behind Rolling Acres Mall in Akron, Ohio.
Hours later and 90 miles away in Noble County, police discovered another shallow grave containing the remains of a white man. The body did not have any identification on him.
An online posting advertising a job working on an Ohio cattle farm is being eyed as a common link in the deaths. The ad has already been implicated in the death of one man and the injury of another.
Both of the first two victims, one of whom is from Florida and the other, South Carolina, had responded to the ad. They were told to bring all of their belongings, as they would be living on the farm.
The man from South Carolina was shot in the arm but managed to escape and inform authorities.
As police investigated the shooting, they found the body of 51-year-old David Pauley of Florida in a shallow grave outside Caldwell, Ohio, about 80 miles east of Columbus.
Two Suspects in Custody
Authorities believe robbery was the motive, and on Nov. 16 took two suspects into custody: a 16-year-old high school student identified by ABC News' Columbus affiliate WSYX as Brogan Rafferty, and 52-year-old Richard Beasley.
Beasley's mother, Carol Beasley, 70, told ABCNews.com that she was shocked when she picked up her newspaper that morning and read about the murder. Although the paper did not specifically name her son, it identified a 52-year-old man from Noble County who was arrested Wednesday, just as her son was.
"In my wildest dreams, I just couldn't imagine him harming someone," Beasley said. "I never imagined he would do the things he did."
She knew her son had been arrested as he walked down the street, but believed it was related to failure to appear in court for two previous charges -- aggravated trafficking in drugs and compelling prostitution.
"Although he did a lot of types of things, it seems that he worked with people on the border -- drug addicts, street people -- I just don't know if he crossed over the line or what happened," Beasley said. "It absolutely blew my mind when I read that this morning."
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