Third body may be tied to Craigslist

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

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 Nov. 25 in the same area another body was found last 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.