COLUMBUS, Ohio (TCD) — A 33-year-old woman stands accused of meeting men for sex and causing the deaths of at least four individuals through drugs.
According to a news release from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, on Oct. 25, a grand jury returned an indictment against Rebecca Auborn, charging her with four counts of murder, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, five counts of aggravated robbery, five counts of felonious assault, five counts of corrupting another with drugs, one count of tampering with evidence, and four counts of trafficking in drugs.
The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force received a tip that Auborn was allegedly “meeting men for sex in northeast Columbus, then dosing the ‘johns’ with drugs in order to steal their possessions.”
According to the Columbus Division of Police, on Jan. 15, officers responded to the 2900 block of Azelda Avenue to a report of an overdose. At the scene, police found the victim, Joseph Crumpler, and he was transported to the Riverside Methodist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police interviewed Auborn, and she confessed to administering drugs that caused the victim’s death. She also admitted to taking his belongings while he was unconscious.
In September, Auborn was charged with murder, aggravated robbery, felonious assault, and corrupting another with drugs in connection with Crumpler’s overdose death. She was booked into the Franklin County Jail and has remained there since.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, investigators determined there were additional victims, including one who suffered an attempted overdose in December 2022, two men who died of overdoses in April, and another fatal overdose victim in June.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that Auborn allegedly met her victims for sex at hotels on the northeast side of Columbus in the areas of Interstate 71, State Route 161, Cleveland Avenue, and East 17th Avenue.
Court records obtained by the Columbus Dispatch said Auborn confessed that with one victim, she mixed fentanyl in a crack pipe. Auborn allegedly knew the man was overdosing and stole his car and debit card.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are seeking additional victims.
Auborn is set to appear in court on Friday, Oct. 27, for her arraignment.
In a statement, Attorney General Dave Yost said, “Don’t buy sex in Ohio — it ruins lives and could cost you yours.”
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