Timothy John Tim Kern, a 47-year-old man from Massillon, Ohio, was found dead on November 25, 2011. His body was recovered buried in a shallow grave behind Rolling Acres Mall in Akron, Ohio, and the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. Kern had responded to a Craigslist ad seeking a farm hand in Ohio before he was killed.

Investigators determined the same ad lured at least two other men. David Pauley of Florida was later found in a shallow grave in Noble County, Ohio, and Scott W. Davis of South Carolina survived after being shot in the arm and escaping; Davis’s report helped uncover the scheme. Authorities say robbery was believed to be the motive. Two suspects taken into custody in connection with these killings were 16-year-old Brogan Rafferty and 52-year-old Richard Beasley; Beasley’s mother publicly expressed shock at the allegations. Kern’s family, including his ex-wife Tina and their two sons, sought closure when his body was identified.

Did anyone who knew Timothy or who responded to similar ads ever notice suspicious details about the postings or the people behind them?