Online marketplace Craigslist has a reputation for attracting some pretty odd characters – some with severely bad intentions. The latest Craigslist-related crime story comes out of Colorado and it’s absolutely terrifying.
A 26-year-old Longmont, CO, woman is in the hospital recovering after she was brutally beaten and stabbed after answering a Craigslist ad of a woman looking to sell baby clothes. The suspect, 34-year-old Dynel Lane, cut her unborn baby from her womb. The victim was around seven months pregnant.
According to police, the pregnant victim went to Lane’s house following a Craigslist ad for baby clothes. But when she arrived, she was immediately attacked. Lane, who was once a certified nurse’s aide, then cut the baby from her body and left her there bleeding. Lane apparently took the baby to the hospital, claiming to have had a miscarriage.
The baby did not survive the attack. The victim is expected to recover.
“Officers arrived on scene and could hear a female calling for help inside the home. Officers entered the home and located a female who had been beaten and stabbed in the stomach,” Longmont police told FOX31 Denver. “It was later learned, the female was pregnant and her baby had been removed. The victim was transported to the Longmont United Hospital where she underwent surgery and is expected to recover.”
Suspect accused of cutting fetus from pregnant woman's womb after Craigslist ad response ID'd http://t.co/2iwyUSv4fk pic.twitter.com/QKlqhCIdFG
— KTLA (@KTLA) March 19, 2015
Apparently police have a motive, but aren’t releasing it as of yet. From The Washington Post:
Investigators have “a pretty good idea” of the motivation of the suspect, [Longmont Police Commander] Jeff Satur told The Post in a Thursday morning phone call. Although Satur declined to discuss details, he said “it would be something everybody would think.”
This extremely troubling story is just another reminder to be careful when dealing with strangers online. This sort of Craigslist bait-and-attack happens more often than you might think.