07/03/2023
Be Safe - Be Aware of your Surroundings and Don't Assume.
Beverly Carter
Carter lived in Arkansas and was 50 years old. Besides being a real estate agent, Carter was a wife, a mother of two sons, and an involved member of her community.
On a Thursday evening, she told her husband she planned to meet a new customer at a vacant, foreclosed property. That was the last time her husband heard from her.
When police arrived at the house where the showing was supposed to take place, Carter's Cadillac was still in the driveway. Her purse was inside the house, but she was not there. Many agents eagerly awaited updates about her on social media and hoped for her safe return during the time she was missing.
Outcome
Unfortunately, Carter did not return home. A great portion of the industry grieved her loss.
Carter's body was eventually found in a shallow grave at a concrete plant. Investigators used cell phone data to help them find the body. An autopsy revealed that she had been suffocated.
In early 2016, a jury convicted Arkansas man Arron Lewis of Carter's kidnapping and murder. Lewis admitted that he targeted Carter because "she was a rich broker... who worked alone." Prosecutors in the case claimed that the kidnapping was part of a ransom plot that went awry. Lewis was aided in this crime by his estranged wife, Crystal Lowery, who pled guilty to murder in 2015. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The Risk
In Carter's case, the main safety risk was isolation. Carter was alone when she went to meet strangers at a vacant home. Arron Lewis and Crystal Lowery, his estranged wife, set up the showing.
This brings up a good point: An agent may feel a false sense of security when meeting with a married couple. The stereotype of someone who would assault a woman is generally a man who is by himself. Don't rely on stereotypes! Women, couples, and small groups can plot this kind of attack too.
Besides, you can't be sure that the person setting up the appointment on the phone will be the same person (or only person) who turns up at the showing.
Just thought I would share this reminder.