Missing Army Reservist's Body Found in St. Louis

Missing Army veteran found murdered in St. Louis may be victim of Craigslist killing
FOX News
October 16, 2015

Police said an Army reservist found dead in a St. Louis alley Thursday had been shot, while family members said he was going to look at a used car advertised on Craigslist before his disappearance.

These undated photos show Robert Polk, 22, an Army reservist found murdered Thursday Oct. 15, 2015,
12 days after his family said he left his home to look at a used car advertised on Craigslist.
(St. Louis Metropolitan Police)

Workers for a demolition company found the body of Robert Lovings Polk, 22, in the Baden area of north St. Louis.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Polk's remains were concealed behind a piece of drywall in a garage. Worker Daniel Parker told the Post-Dispatch that he and his colleagues had smelled a strong odor when they had been at the property the previous two days, but assumed it was a dead animal.

"It really did freak me out because we never knew when we removed that drywall that we would find a dead body there, " worker Jerry Montaque told KTVI. "It stunned me; I just had to get myself together and walk away for a minute."
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Navy Veteran, Wife Scammed via Craigslist in Florida

Navy veteran, wife scammed via Craigslist
Torres family loses $850 after home fraudulently listed online for rent
News4JAX
Author: Joy Purdy Jodi Mohrmann, Managing editor of special projects
August 4, 2015

Jacksonville Florida
Navy veteran Roberto Torres and his wife Cynthia just moved back to Jacksonville from El Paso, Texas. Roberto was stationed here when he was in the Navy and loved it, so the family decided to return. However their move back to the River City hasn't been problem free.

"We already had out truck and everything ready and we were going to move, and we had nowhere to go," said Cynthia.

She got emotional as she began telling her story to News4Jax, and Roberto gave her a loving hug and kiss. The couple wants to share this story of being scammed in the hopes of helping someone else avoid something similar.

Cynthia says they needed a place so she went online and found her dream home: a three-bedroom in East Arlington. It was a perfect fit for the couple and their 2 ½ year-old son. The alleged homeowner told the Torres' he was working out of town and couldn't physically show them the house, but would give them the keys if they wired him the $850 deposit.

"Like after everything I kept having this gut feeling," Cynthia admitted. "There's just something not right about this."
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Ransom Demanded For Veteran's Missing Dog

Suspect demanding ransom for lost dogs may be using Craigslist 
AZ Family.com
Ashleigh Barry
March 5, 2015

Gonzales is sickened by the ordeal and just wants her precious dog back, wherever he might be, so he can take care of her husband who struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. "We're all going through this. It's hard enough, but yet it's like he's kicking us while we're already down," she said.

BUCKEYE, Ariz. -- Valley dog owners who are putting up posters and using the Internet to locate their lost pets are getting calls back from someone demanding a ransom.

Phoenix police now believe the suspect may be using Craigslist to prey on his victims. "It's horrific what he's doing to us. It's heart-wrenching enough that we're out there, we're searching for our dog, we desperately want our dogs back," said dog owner Amy Gonzales.

She is now the third dog owner to contact police about a ransom-demanding stranger claiming to have her lost animal. Her 1-year-old Chihuahua, Red Dog, escaped through a hole in their fenced in backyard several weeks ago.

She posted fliers on her Buckeye neighborhood mailboxes and even online through Craigslist, offering a reward for his safe return. read more here

Police: Runion Couple Bodies Found

Police: Vehicle, bodies found in search for missing Cobb couple 
WXIA 11
Alive Staff,
January 26, 2015

ELFAIR COUNTY, Ga. -- Police say two bodies have been found in the search for a Cobb County couple missing since last Thursday.

Family members tell 11Alive News 69-year-old Elrey "Bud" Runion placed a Craigslist ad searching for vintage 1966 Mustang. He got a response from an individual in McRae, Ga., saying he had one to sell.

The couple was planning a trip to McRae, in Telfair County, to purchase the vehicle from the ad and was planning to return the same evening. They did not return home and they have not been able to make contact with them by phone, according to family members. Family members insist they were not traveling with cash.
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Suspect in Missing Georgia Couple Case Turns Himself Into Sheriff

Suspect Wanted in Connection With Disappearance of Elderly Couple in Custody 
NBC News
January 26, 2015

A suspect wanted in connection with the disappearance of an elderly Georgia couple that went missing after planning a day trip to buy a car they found on Craigslist turned himself in Monday, according to police.

Suspect Ronnie "Jay" Towns, 28, was in custody at the Telfair County Sheriff's office, Sheriff Chris Steverson told NBC News.

Towns was sought on suspicion of making false statements to investigators and criminal intent to commit theft by deception after Elrey "Bud" Runion, 69, and his wife, June Runion, 66, vanished Thursday, according to the Telfair County Sheriff's Office.
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BREAKING: Missing Marietta couple found dead

Iraq veteran lured to death in Indiana with Craigslist ad for iPad

Iraq veteran lured to death in Indiana with Craigslist ad for iPad
reports Sgt. 1st Class James Vester reportedly planned to buy the tablet as a Christmas gift for his parents, but was gunned down on Indianapolis' tough west side. Two teenage brothers face charges of murder and robbery in the heartless killing.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
BY DOYLE MURPHY
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2013

An Iraq war veteran was gunned down in Indianapolis — reportedly over an iPad.

Sgt. 1st Class James Vester responded to a Craigslist ad on Wednesday and headed for the city’s west side, where he was robbed and murdered by two teenage brothers, according to police and media reports.

“He knew it wasn’t the best neighborhood, that’s why he went in the middle of the afternoon,” family friend Sarah Hill told the Indianapolis Star. “He was being careful.”

The married father of a 1-year-old boy wanted to buy the iPad as a Christmas gift for his parents, WISHTV reported.
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Depraved Craigslist scammer leaves amputee and family homeless

Family of 5 Homeless After Craigslist Rental Scam
KTLA News
by Kennedy Ryan
Web Producer
09/03/13

A local family was without a home Tuesday after answering a Craigslist ad for a rental property in Riverside that turned out to be a scam.

Mark Ames, an above-the-knee amputee who walks with a prosthetic leg, and his wife Sharon, a disabled Navy veteran, rented a home on Aug. 20 through an ad they found on Craigslist.

“It was everything it was supposed to be, except it wasn’t,” Mark Ames said.

Ames told KTLA he dealt with the purported landlord entirely by email and was issued what he thought was a legitimate lease for a year.
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Marine shot in Craigslist robbery in Deerfield Beach

Marine shot in Craigslist robbery in Deerfield Beach

By Juan Ortega, Sun Sentinel
11:18 p.m. EST, December 22, 2011

FORT LAUDERDALE— — A 29-year Marine officer's attempt to sell jewelry through a classifieds website resulted in a near-deadly encounter when the buyers turned out to be armed robbers, the Broward Sheriff's Office said Thursday.

U.S. Marine Lt. Col. Karl Trenker, 48, of Miramar, had arranged to sell an 18-inch gold necklace through the website Craigslist, the Sheriff's Office said. But when he showed up for the sale in Deerfield Beach while off duty Wednesday, he was robbed and shot several times in his torso, officials said.

Authorities are reminding the public to be wary of meeting strangers for such transactions, including any stemming from online ads. When selling or buying items through classifieds, residents should avoid secluded areas and strangers' homes, the Sheriff's Office said. They should instead arrange to meet at a crowded public location.
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Craigslist dog of homeless veteran needs new home

After his owner dies, Homie seeks a home
UNION-TRIBUNE
December 11, 2008


The ad that appeared on Craigslist under “Pets” hinted of a bigger story:

My name is Homie . . . My story is quite an interesting one. My dad got me when I was a puppy, and he loved me dearly. We lived a great life until one day my dad got sick and needed surgery. He couldn't pay for it, and we became homeless. I was homeless for about a year or so, then my dad got sick again and never came home from the hospital . . . I've been staying at my friend Natalie's house for a while . . . Natalie says she loves me and I'm the perfect dog, but she can't keep me because she has two dogs, a cat and a small house.

I weigh about 86 pounds and am 6 years old. I know better than to use the bathroom in the house and know a couple of tricks. I really just like to lounge around and hang out with everyone . . . If you are looking for a big dog, give me a chance. I won't let you down.

Natalie Carroll has been taking care of Homie, a German shepherd/Doberman mix, ever since his owner died on Halloween. “Mike,” 50, and his dog were fixtures at a small shopping mall on Balboa Avenue near Genesee Avenue for more than a year. Mike had a ready smile and warm greeting for everyone. He solicited handouts with a sign that read: “Homeless veteran and dog. Any help is great. God Bless,” but Carroll has no idea if he really was a veteran.
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