Third Body Possibly Tied to Craigslist Ad Identified

Authorities identified the body of an Ohio man Saturday who could potentially be the third victim of a bogus Craigslist ad that lured two jobseekers to their deaths.

The body of Ralph Geiger was found in a
shallow grave before noon Friday in the same area another body was found
this 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, 56, of Akron, 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.
He would not comment on the cause of Geiger's death, but said the
investigation is ongoing.


Jobseekers who interviewed for the ranch
work were told they'd earn about $300 a week, have a place to live and a
vehicle to drive, authorities said. But they were also warned there was
no cellphone service in the area.


The alleged scheme apparently targeted
middle-aged men with few family ties. A woman in her 20s who answered
the ad in October said she never heard back.


Two suspects in custody are from the Akron
area: a high school student who has been charged with attempted murder
and 52-year-old Richard Beasley, who is in jail on unrelated charges.


Beasley's mother has described her son's
relationship with the jailed teen as that of a mentor, and has said she
hopes the charges against her son are false.


Authorities say a Craigslist ad was used to lure Norfolk, Va., resident David Pauley,
51, to Ohio, apparently with the intent of robbing him. Pauley was
found dead in the rural area of Noble County, 90 miles south of Akron. A
South Carolina man also answered the ad and was shot Nov. 6 before
escaping, police say.


Authorities say Timothy Kern, 47, of
Massillon, whose body was found buried near an Akron shopping mall
Friday, answered the ad this month and was last seen Nov. 13.


Authorities have said robbery may have been
the motive for Pauley's death and the attack on the South Carolina man.
They said Pauley was told to bring all of his possessions to the site.


Kern's father said one of the stipulations
of the job was that his son was supposed to sign his car over to the man
he interviewed with in exchange for a truck. Kern said his son never
told him the man's name.
Source

This guy is gonna get caught, he's killing people too often.