A South Carolina woman who believed she was meeting someone to buy a puppy walked into a deadly trap, according to authorities. The woman reportedly was lured into an ambush, fatally shot, and set on fire.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that police responded to a call of a “vehicle consumed by fire with a deceased victim inside” in Effingham on Jan. 22.
‘Investigators are exploring the theory that Kinlaw was targeted in retaliation for a separate murder involving a family member in Darlington.’
Around 5:45 p.m., deputies arrived at the scene to find the car still on fire and a body inside the vehicle, WMBF-TV reported.
Florence County Coroner Keith Von Lutcken identified the deceased woman as 40-year-old Dana Marie Kinlaw.
“Investigators allege that Iryanna Jarissa Fleming and Daquinn Taheen Thomas intentionally shot Kinlaw, resulting in her death, and subsequently set her body on fire inside the vehicle,” police stated.
Florence County Sheriff TJ Joye said Fleming lured Kinlaw to a remote area.
“Supposedly they went there together,” Joye said, according to WMBF. “Miss Fleming, she was 19 years of age, a friend of Miss Kinlaw, and they rode there together supposedly to buy a puppy.”
Joye noted that Kinlaw was shot and then set on fire while inside the vehicle.
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Authorities suspect Kinlaw was murdered as an act of retaliation over a prior homicide in Darlington County.
“Investigators are exploring the theory that Kinlaw was targeted in retaliation for a separate murder involving a family member in Darlington,” Joye said.
“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 added.
Joye said investigators suspect that Kinlaw’s son was involved in “some way, shape, or form, and we feel this is a retaliation to that murder.”
Police arrested Thomas, 31, and Fleming on Jan. 22. They both were charged with murder and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
Nikko Christopher Carraway, 31, was arrested Jan. 28 in connection with Kinlaw’s killing, according to WPDE-TV.
Carraway was charged with murder, first-degree arson, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.
All three suspects are being held without bond at the Florence County Detention Center.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office stated the investigation is ongoing, and the suspects could face additional charges.
Citing court records, the New York Post reported that Thomas and Carraway have a “laundry list of criminal cases in Florence County dating back as far as 2014.”
Thomas was hit with multiple attempted murder charges and violent armed robbery cases, according to the Post, which noted that Thomas was sentenced to nine months in prison last March for possessing a firearm as a convicted criminal.
The Florence County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.
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