E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSBy Andy Brownfield of the Associated Press
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A body found in a shallow grave in northeast Ohio was that of a man missing more than a week who answered a deadly Craigslist ad that police say lured victims into a robbery, a medical examiner said Saturday.
Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon, was last seen Nov. 13 after driving to Akron for a job he called a "good offer but strange." His family has said it was out of character for him not to be in touch.
Kern died of gunshot wounds to the head, the Summit County Medical Examiner's office said.
Kern answered the same ad for a farm hand that authorities say led to the shooting death of Norfolk, Va., resident David Pauley, 51, in a rural area 90 miles south of Akron. A South Carolina man reported answering the ad but managing to escape after being shot Nov. 6.
The discovery of Kern's body Friday near the Rolling Acres shopping mall in Akron came just a few hours before the sheriff in Noble County in southeastern Ohio announced that another body had been found in a shallow grave there.
Sheriff Steve Hannum is under a judge's gag order and can't comment on the case, but the title of his emailed announcement — "second body" — implied the discovery was connected with Pauley's death.
If the two bodies discovered Friday are linked to Pauley's case, that would bring to three the number of deaths associated with the phony Craigslist ad.
Two people from the Akron area are in custody: 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 previously told The Associated Press that her son has "a very caring heart" and she prays that reports he is a suspect are not true.
Agents have contacted individuals to check on their well-being, FBI spokesman Harry Trombitas said Friday in an email.
The farm advertised on Craigslist does not exist; the area where the bodies were found in Noble County is property owned by a coal company and often leased to hunters.
— Associated Press writer Andrew Welsh-Huggins contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
Just don't trust craigslist posts unless you are able to verify validity of author of post as well as a bona fide address ahead of time. If in doubt, notify local authorities with questions. Your very life could depend on it.
I'm surprised this is the first body they've found at Rolling Acres Mall (aside from the guy that caught fire trying to steal copper from their power lines). That place is a dump.
Dumb as well as wicked - why are you going to rob a guy that is going to work at a menial job?
The victims were told by the killer/killers to bring along their belongings because they'd be living on-site.
Evidentally, this is killing for the thrill of killing; there is no reason to rob someone willing to do menial labor for free room and board, plus a few hundred bucks per week. The economy is down, certainly.... but too good to be true still holds; people need to be more vigilant than ever in sorting out what is and what's not reality.
Maybe not popular, but I think that the high school guy should be dealt with differently; he's impressionable and young. Beasly knows what he's doing, whom he's manipulating, and needs to be handled much differently. The worst amongst the worst of predators; hiding behind religion, hiding behind the guidance of a young boy somewhat lost, and luring in those that have perhaps lost all and are looking for the needle in the haystack.
Evil, evidentally, does exist...... and it's always in the human animal form.
give the sob the hot chair not lethel injection or hang above a pool of shafks and give him a little bleeding cut sharks love blood
This is what I see reading between the lines. The 3 dead were shot by Beasley. Then he ended up in jail (on unrelated charges) so he couldn't carry out the lastet scheme. The youth is held for attempted murder on the man that got away because he couldn't finish what they had planned. However since Mr. Beasley was in jail the youth did not have to try to kill the last man. He could have made up any story or even said the man didn't show up. So as far as being lenient I say give Mr. Beasley the death penalty and the young man life in prison without possibility of parole.
One guy was shot on Nov 6 and got away and yet this guy was last seen Nov 13 and got killed. Something doesn't add up. I wonder what we're not being told.
I think the author got the dates mixed up. I thought the guy who got away was from Florida and not South Carolina.
ModerationInAllThings, sounds like your jumping the gun. How do you know it wasn't the teenager doing the killing?
It may have been the teenager doing the killing. BUT they were interviewed for the non-existent job by a man not a teenager. They were both involved. After reading the post by Ben Thomas I went back to look at the time line: Nov 6 The man shot in the arm got away. Nov 13 Timothy Kern was last seen. Nov 15 Cadaver dogs found a body in a shallow grave (David Pauley). Nov 16 Teenager is arrested (Beasley is already in jail on other charges) Nov 25 Police find 2 more bodies (1 is Timothy Kern). Hopefully all the bodies have been found and they can idenitify the last one.
The post on Craig's List has been taken off. However if you don't renew these items, then the post will be taken down. They should contact the administrators of this site as to who put it on there. Not too long ago it was missing women on the dating site part.
do not allow craigs list on the internet any more
Great. Looks like Ohio spawned yet another serial killer, possibly two (which is probably why there is a gag order). I wonder if that teenager is beyond any meaningful rehabilitation.
If those two were from Akron chances are they'd be turning out great music just like The Black Keys.
Now the older guy will be a Lonely Boy and the young one will most likely live Grown So Ugly
give them both the death sentence! no legal injection! the hot seat and let them see eash other squirmn as they burn!!!
People like you scare me. Yes, justice should be served, but there is no need to draw and quarter anyone or "hang [them] above a pool of sharks" as you put it in a previous comment. In this century, we are supposed to be more civil than we where in 11th century medieval times when people were routinely tortured to death as spectators cheered while watching the suffering of the accused.
What purpose would it serve to "let them see eash other squirmn as they burn"? Would it be a deterrent for future crimes of this nature? Would a potential serial killer duo just say, "I guess we can't murder people, we might end up seeing eash other squirmn as we burn!" No, they wouldn't and if we succumb to this mob mentality then we are no better than the criminals.
Put him in a giant aquarium just leave his head sticking out. Handcuff him and tie his feet together and slowly distribute battery acid through a hole in the aquarium. He will die a slow painful death.
The accused allegedly shot his victim in the head meaning instant death, and you want to slowly torture the accused with battery acid? That makes you worse than him.