A woman in South Carolina was ambushed by three people who fatally shot her and set her body on fire when she believed she was attending a meeting to buy a puppy.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office announced that Dana Marie Kinlaw was lured to a rural road in Effingham, South Carolina, on Thursday, January 22, with the intention to buy a puppy. However, she was instead allegedly killed by Iryanna Jarisaa Fleming, Daquinn Taheen Thomas and Nikko Christopher Carraway.
Officials believe Kinlaw, 40, was killed as part of a retaliation murder for a recent killing that took place in nearby Darlington County, according to WBMF.
Kinlaw was driving with Fleming, 19, when they stopped on Atlantic Road before the killing.
“Supposedly, they went there together,” Florence County Sheriff TJ Joye explained to the outlet. “Miss Fleming, she was 19 years of age, a friend of Miss Kinlaw, and they rode there together supposedly to buy a puppy.”
Officials said that they believe Fleming and Thomas, 31, set up a fake sale for a dog that Kinlaw was interested in buying. They allegedly planned to persuade her to travel to the area so that they could attack her.
Upon their arrival, Kinlaw was fatally shot. The suspected killers then poured a liquid over her body and set her on fire inside the car, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies received a report about a car on fire, and they discovered that a body was inside of the vehicle when they arrived at the scene.
Kinlaw’s body was identified by Florence County Coroner Keith Von Lutcken, according to a statement shared by the Florence County Sheriff’s Office. He ordered her body be sent to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston for an autopsy. The results have not yet been released as of time of publication.
Just hours after Kinlaw’s body was discovered, Fleming and Thomas were both arrested and charged with murder, first-degree arson and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to online records viewed by Us Weekly.
Carraway was arrested later on Wednesday, January 28, and was charged with the same three crimes as Fleming and Thomas, Us Weekly confirmed via online records.
Officials said they believe that the murder was related to another killing that took place 35 miles away in Darlington County, which involved Kinlaw’s son. However, Joye did not share any more details about Kinlaw’s son’s death or why police believe the crimes are linked.
“We believe there was a murder committed in Darlington County, which we made the arrest in Lake City that connects them to that arrest with Darlington County officials,” Joye told the outlet. “We feel that her son was involved in that in some way, shape, or form, and we feel this is a retaliation to that murder.”
All three suspects are currently behind bars at Florence County Detention Center and no bonds have been set for them. It is not currently clear if they have entered pleas or retained legal representation.
