Inset left to right: Iryanna Fleming, Daquinn Thomas, and Nikko Carraway (Florence County Detention Center). Inset far right: Dana Kinlaw (Obituary). Background: The rural road where Kinlaw was killed and burned in Effingham, S.C. (Google Maps).
In South Carolina, three individuals have been arrested after a tragic incident where a woman was shot and subsequently set ablaze. The crime unfolded under the guise of a pet adoption, as the victim was deceived into thinking she was meeting to purchase a new dog, according to local authorities.
Law enforcement has charged Iryanna Jarisha Fleming, 19, along with Daquinn Taheen Thomas and Nikko Christopher Carraway, both 31, with murder, first-degree arson, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime, as reported by the Florence County Sheriff’s Office.
This disturbing event took place late last week near the crossroads of Atlantic Road and Springbranch Road in the rural community of Effingham, situated roughly 65 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach. The victim has been identified as 40-year-old Dana Marie Kinlaw.
On January 22, around 5:45 p.m., deputies were dispatched following reports of a car engulfed in flames, according to the local NBC station, WMBF.
The Florence County Coroner’s Office soon arrived at the scene to assist in the investigation. The deceased was identified as a resident of Olanta, a nearby small town.
An autopsy has been scheduled for the coming week, but preliminary findings by authorities suggest that the woman was shot before being set on fire inside the vehicle, officials have confirmed.
The murder is believed to have occurred under false pretenses. The victim thought she was traveling out into a rural area to buy a puppy, according to the sheriff’s office.
“Supposedly, they went there together,” Florence County Sheriff TJ Joye told WMBF. “Miss Fleming, she was 19 years of age, a friend of Miss Kinlaw, and they rode there together supposedly to buy a puppy.”
But instead of a transaction, Kinlaw was shot, the sheriff said.
After that, someone poured a liquid on the victim’s body and set her aflame while she was still inside the car, according to law enforcement.
Deputies found the fire still blazing when they arrived.
The Kinlaw murder is now being investigated as a reprisal killing in response to a different murder that occurred some 35 miles away.
“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 WMBF. “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.”
Fleming and Thomas were the first arrested and are detained in the Florence County Detention Center where they are awaiting a bond hearing. On Wednesday, deputies took Carraway into custody.
