Dating apps were supposed to make romance easier. Swipe, chat, meet for coffee, discover shared hobbies, laugh about bad profile photos, and maybeif the algorithm is feeling generousfind someone who does not say “entrepreneur” when they mean “unemployed with Wi-Fi.” But in a small number of terrifying cases, a digital match has become the first step in a real-world crime.
This article looks at 10 more dating app murders and murder cases linked to platforms such as Tinder, Grindr, Plenty of Fish, Tagged, and other online dating spaces. These are not spooky campfire legends or “my cousin’s roommate heard” stories. They are cases reported by police, courts, prosecutors, and reputable news outlets. The goal is not to panic readers away from online dating. Millions of people use dating apps safely. The goal is to understand how predators exploit trust, speed, privacy, and false identityand how users can protect themselves without deleting every app and moving to a cabin guarded by emotionally unavailable raccoons.
Below are 10 documented dating app murder cases, followed by practical lessons and real-world experiences that show why digital dating safety matters.
Why Dating App Murders Capture Public Attention
Dating app murders are rare, but they feel especially disturbing because the setup is so ordinary. A victim is not walking into an obviously dangerous scene. They are doing something normal: messaging someone, agreeing to meet, hoping the date will be charming rather than painfully awkward. That everyday familiarity is what makes these crimes so chilling.
Many cases share similar patterns: the suspect misrepresented themselves, pushed for a private meeting, isolated the victim, used the app as a hunting ground, or took advantage of the fact that friends and family did not know enough about the date. In several cases, investigators later found that digital evidencemessages, location data, app profiles, phone records, and screenshotsbecame essential to solving the crime.
10 More Dating App Murders and What Happened
1. Tim Ivy: The Indiana Dating App Meeting That Turned Deadly
In Evansville, Indiana, Heidi Carter met a woman through a dating app and invited her and her boyfriend, Tim Ivy, to the home where Carter was staying. What began as a consensual adult encounter turned violent when Carter’s boyfriend, Carey Hammond, entered the situation. According to court reporting, Hammond attacked the couple, Ivy was killed, and the woman survived after being restrained and assaulted.
Carter was later convicted on charges including murder, rape-related counts, and criminal confinement. In 2023, she was sentenced to 65 years in prison. The case is especially disturbing because it shows how quickly a private meeting can remove escape routes. Once a date moves from public space to someone’s home, the balance of control can change fast.
2. Ashlyn Black: The Utah Tinder Date Murder
Ashlyn Black, 25, met Ethan Hunsaker on Tinder in Utah in May 2020. The two reportedly met in person, and later that night Hunsaker called police and said he had killed her. Officers found Black dead from stabbing injuries. Hunsaker pleaded guilty but mentally ill and was sentenced in 2022 to 15 years to life, with mental health treatment ordered before prison.
This case is often cited because there was no long relationship, no drawn-out pattern visible to friends, and no obvious warning that the meeting would become fatal. It is a grim reminder that a first date should remain low-risk by design: public place, independent transportation, charged phone, and someone else aware of the plan.
3. Bobby Scott: A Florida Dating App Encounter and a 45-Year Sentence
Bobby Scott, a 63-year-old Daytona Beach-area restaurant manager, disappeared after meeting a younger man through a dating app in January 2021. Michael Harris Jr. was later arrested in connection with Scott’s death. Authorities said Scott’s vehicle was found in Harris’s possession, and Scott’s body was later discovered. Harris was eventually sentenced to 45 years in prison.
The case raised concerns about predators who use dating apps not only for romantic contact but also for robbery, manipulation, and access. Dating apps can create a false sense of familiarity. A few friendly messages may feel like trust, but trust is not built by emojis, flattery, or someone saying “I’m different” with suspicious confidence.
4. Sarah Butler, Joanne Brown, and Robin West: The Tagged Serial Killer Case
Khalil Wheeler-Weaver used social and dating-style apps, including Tagged, to contact women in New Jersey. In 2016, three womenRobin West, Joanne Brown, and Sarah Butlerwere killed. A fourth woman survived and helped investigators understand the danger. Butler’s friends and family played a major role by using her social media trail to identify Wheeler-Weaver and help police catch him.
In 2021, Wheeler-Weaver was sentenced to 160 years in prison. The case shows both the danger and the power of digital evidence. Messages, profiles, timestamps, and online accounts can create a map of events. For users, it also underlines a practical rule: tell someone who you are meeting, where, when, and through which app. A screenshot sent to a friend can become more important than anyone wants to imagine.
5. Francia Ruth Ibarra: A Tinder Case in Mexico
Francia Ruth Ibarra, 26, was reported missing in León, Mexico, in 2016. Reports stated that she had met Emmanuel Delani Valdez Bocanegra on Tinder and had been secretly seeing him. Investigators later found remains and chemical substances connected to the case, and Bocanegra was accused of killing her.
This case is horrifying not only because of the violence, but because secrecy made it harder for loved ones to know where to look at first. Privacy is normal in dating. Secrecy is different. A healthy dating life does not require broadcasting every flirtatious message to the family group chat, but at least one trusted person should know when a meeting moves offline.
6. Robert Goodrich and Randy Gwirtz: The Ohio Grindr Murder Allegations
In Ohio, Talent Bradley was charged in connection with the 2021 deaths of Robert Goodrich and Randy Gwirtz, two men investigators said he met through Grindr. Both men were found stabbed. Bradley died while awaiting trial, meaning the criminal case did not reach a final courtroom verdict.
Because the suspect died before trial, this case should be discussed carefully: charges are not the same as a conviction. Still, the investigation became part of the broader conversation about app-based targeting, especially against LGBTQ+ users who may face extra privacy concerns, stigma, or hesitation about reporting threats. Safety tools must work for everyone, not only for users who feel comfortable telling the world who they date.
7. Katie Locke: The Plenty of Fish Date That Ended in Murder
Katie Locke, a teacher in the United Kingdom, met Carl Langdell through Plenty of Fish. In December 2015, the two met at a hotel after communicating online. Locke was killed, and Langdell was later sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term reported as 26 years.
Langdell had misrepresented himself and presented a polished image online. That detail matters. Predators do not always look like cartoon villains twirling mustaches. Some appear educated, polite, or emotionally intense in a way that can be mistaken for romantic focus. A convincing profile is not a background check. A smooth message is not character evidence.
8. Meshach Cornwall: A Plenty of Fish Meeting in Ohio
Meshach Cornwall, 27, was killed in Garfield Heights, Ohio, after meeting Shakira Graham through Plenty of Fish. Graham was convicted of murder and other charges connected to Cornwall’s death. Court records and local reporting described a case involving a dating-site connection, a later return to the victim’s home, and stolen property.
This case highlights another overlooked risk: danger may not end when the first meeting ends. Once someone knows where you live, where you park, or what your routine looks like, they may have access beyond the date itself. For early dates, avoid using your home as the meeting point. Your address should not be the cover charge for romance.
9. Jessica Troulliet and Robert Templet: A Louisiana Dating App Double Murder
Jessica Troulliet met Jamal Harris through a dating app in Louisiana. In October 2020, Troulliet and her father, Robert Templet, were found shot to death in her vehicle. Prosecutors said the meeting turned sour and that Harris shot both victims after Troulliet wanted the encounter to end. In April 2026, Harris was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder, with sentencing scheduled for May 2026.
The case shows how rejection can become dangerous when a person feels entitled to attention, sex, admiration, or control. A safe dating culture must normalize one simple truth: anyone can end a date at any time. No one owes chemistry, affection, transportation, privacy, or a second chance.
10. Katherine Smith: A Plenty of Fish Relationship Built on Lies
Katherine Smith, a young mother from Cardiff, met Anthony Lowe through Plenty of Fish. Reports said Lowe lied about his identity and age, using the name Tony Moore. The relationship moved quickly, but within weeks Smith was killed in a brutal stabbing. Lowe admitted murder and was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 18 years.
This case demonstrates the danger of rapid emotional escalation. Fast romance can feel exciting, especially when someone seems intensely devoted. But intensity is not the same as intimacy. When a person rushes commitment, isolates a partner, lies about basic facts, or becomes controlling early, those are not romantic quirks. Those are alarms wearing cologne.
Common Patterns in Dating App Murder Cases
Private Locations Too Soon
Many dating app murder cases involve a quick move to a home, hotel, vehicle, or secluded area. Public spaces do not guarantee safety, but they add witnesses, exits, cameras, staff, and interruption. For early dates, “public and populated” is not boring. It is smart.
False Identity and Image Control
Several offenders lied about age, name, relationship status, background, or intentions. Online profiles allow people to curate themselves like a product listing. Unfortunately, some people are selling a defective item with no return policy. Video calls, reverse image searches, social media consistency, and basic questions can help, though none are perfect.
Isolation From Friends and Family
Predators benefit when nobody knows where the victim went. A simple safety routinesharing the profile, date location, expected return time, and live location with a trusted personcan make a major difference.
Entitlement After Rejection
Several cases involved anger after rejection, embarrassment, jealousy, or loss of control. Watch how a match responds to small boundaries. If they guilt-trip you for delaying a meeting, mock your safety rules, pressure you to drink more, insist on picking you up, or sulk when told no, they are giving you a preview. Do not buy tickets to the full show.
Dating App Safety Lessons That Actually Help
The point of reading about dating app murders is not to become paranoid. It is to become prepared. Safety experts commonly recommend meeting in public, telling someone your plans, arranging your own transportation, keeping your phone charged, and staying in control of alcohol or substances. These are simple steps, but they work because they reduce isolation and increase your ability to leave.
Before meeting, consider a brief video chat. It can confirm that the person resembles their photos and can reveal whether the chemistry feels natural. Save screenshots of the profile and messages. Use the app’s reporting tools if someone threatens, harasses, pressures, or behaves suspiciously. If a match tries to rush you off-platform immediately, that is not automatically criminal, but it is worth slowing down.
On the date, stay in public for the first few meetings. Do not accept a ride if it gives the other person control over when you leave. If something feels wrong, leave without debating your intuition in a tiny courtroom inside your head. You do not need enough evidence to satisfy a jury. You only need enough discomfort to choose safety.
Experiences and Real-World Reflections on Dating App Safety
People who use dating apps often describe the same emotional tug-of-war: they want to be open enough to meet someone, but cautious enough not to ignore red flags. That balance is not always easy. A charming match can make safety rules feel awkward. Nobody wants to interrupt flirty banter with, “Please hold while I send your profile to my emergency contact.” Yet the people who build safety habits into dating often say it becomes normal quickly. The first time feels dramatic; the fifth time feels like locking your front door.
One common experience is the pressure to seem “chill.” Many daters worry that asking for a public place, refusing a ride, or delaying a home visit will make them look suspicious or unfriendly. But healthy people usually respect reasonable boundaries. In fact, a good match may appreciate them. A person who reacts angrily to basic safety precautions is giving useful information. They may not be a killer, but they are probably not Saturday-night material either.
Friends and roommates also play a bigger role than they realize. In several real cases, loved ones noticed missing routines, unusual silence, or digital clues. A basic check-in system can help: text when you arrive, text when you leave, and agree on a time when someone should call if they have not heard from you. Some people use code words. Others share live location for the first date. These habits are not unromantic. They are the dating equivalent of wearing a seat belt: ideally unnecessary, deeply useful when needed.
Another lesson comes from survivors of frightening dates that did not become headline crimes. Many describe a moment when the mood shifted: a date became pushy, blocked an exit, drank too much, criticized their boundaries, or insisted on changing locations. The safest response is often the least theatrical one. Leave early. Ask staff for help. Call a rideshare. Step into a restroom and text a friend. A bad date does not require a polite ending. Your safety is not a customer-service department.
Finally, dating app companies have a responsibility, too. Users can take precautions, but platforms should improve verification, reporting, ban enforcement, and cooperation with law enforcement. Safety should not depend only on whether a user is cautious, tech-savvy, or lucky. Apps profit from connection; they should also invest seriously in protection. Romance may begin with a swipe, but safety should be built before the first message is ever sent.
Conclusion
These 10 dating app murder cases reveal the darker side of online connection, but they should not erase the fact that many people meet partners safely through apps every day. The real lesson is not “never date online.” The lesson is “date with a plan.” Meet publicly. Share details. Trust your discomfort. Keep control of your transportation. Watch how someone handles boundaries. A genuine match will not be offended by safety; they will understand it.
Dating apps can introduce people who would never meet otherwise. That can be wonderful. It can also be risky when bad actors use convenience as cover. The best approach is neither panic nor blind trust. It is informed cautionwith a charged phone, a friend in the loop, and the confidence to leave the moment your gut says, “This plot twist is not for me.”
Note: This article is based on publicly reported cases, court-related information, prosecutor statements, and widely recommended online dating safety guidance. It is written for awareness and prevention, not sensationalism.
