S.C. woman was shot, set on fire after allegedly being lured by offer to buy a puppy

FLORENCE, S.C. (TCN) -- A woman was shot and set on fire in her car after she was allegedly lured to an area believing she was going there to purchase a puppy. 

The Florence County Sheriff’s Office announced that on Jan. 22, deputies received a report of a vehicle on fire. Responding officers found a deceased woman inside the vehicle. She was later identified by the county coroner as Dana Marie Kinlaw, 40.

Two suspects, 19-year-old Iryanna Fleming and 31-year-old Daquinn Thomas, were arrested and charged the same day with murder, arson, and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. 

A third suspect, 31-year-old Nikko Christopher Carraway, was arrested on Jan. 28 and charged with the same offenses, WBTV reports. 

According to WMBF, Florence County Sheriff TJ Joye believes the murder was a setup. He told the outlet Kinlaw was led to believe she was going to see a puppy she was interested in buying. Fleming allegedly rode to the destination with Kinlaw, the outlet reports. 

The New York Post reports Fleming and Thomas allegedly set up the fake sale of the puppy to lure Kinlaw to the area, where she was then ambushed, shot, and then set on fire. 

Joye told WMBF the sheriff’s office is investigating Kinlaw’s killing as an act of retaliation for a murder 35 miles away. He said, “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. 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.”

The New York Post reports Thomas and Carraway have lengthy criminal histories dating back to 2014; Thomas has faced charges for attempted murder and armed robbery and last served prison time in 2025 for possession of a firearm as a convicted criminal. 

The investigation is ongoing.

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