Woman Shot, Set on Fire in Puppy Sale Lure Case

A South Carolina woman was brutally killed after being deceived into believing she was meeting sellers to purchase a puppy.

The victim, 40-year-old Dana Marie Kinlaw, was reportedly lured to a secluded rural road in Effingham on January 22. Investigators say she travelled to the location under the impression that she was finalising the purchase of a dog she had shown interest in.

Authorities allege that Kinlaw arrived at the area with a 19-year-old acquaintance, Iryanna Jarissa Fleming. Shortly after stopping along Atlantic Road near Springbranch Road, she was ambushed by additional suspects who had allegedly planned the meeting as a trap.

According to investigators, Kinlaw was fatally shot before her attackers poured a flammable substance over her body and set it alight inside her vehicle. The burning car was later abandoned along the roadside.

Emergency responders were alerted to a vehicle fire in the area and discovered the car still engulfed in flames, with a human body inside. The remains were later identified as Kinlaw’s, and her body was transported for a post-mortem examination. Autopsy results have not yet been released.

Fleming and a second suspect, 31-year-old Daquinn Taheen Thomas, were arrested within hours of the incident and charged with murder, first-degree arson, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime. A third suspect, Nikko Christopher Carraway, was taken into custody days later and faces the same charges.

Investigators believe the killing was a retaliatory act linked to a separate homicide in a nearby county. Officials have indicated that the earlier case may involve Kinlaw’s son, though no further details have been disclosed.

Authorities also confirmed that Thomas and Carraway have extensive criminal histories involving violent offenses dating back several years. Thomas had previously served a prison sentence in 2025 for unlawful possession of a firearm as a convicted felon.

The investigation remains ongoing as officials continue to piece together the full circumstances surrounding the crime.