Winnipeg Police Arrest 3 in Online Dating Robbery Scheme

A series of alleged robberies in Winnipeg began, police say, with online dating conversations and ended with victims being robbed at knifepoint.

Winnipeg police have arrested three people in connection with robberies they say were linked to online dating platforms, after several victims reported arranging to meet a 44-year-old woman through dating sites or apps between February and August.

Dating meetups turned violent

According to police, the victims went to arranged meeting locations expecting to meet the woman. Instead, male suspects confronted them and robbed them at knifepoint.

Police say the victims were stripped of personal property, including wallets and car keys. Investigators allege the suspects then used the victims’ vehicles to go to businesses and ATMs, where fraudulent purchases were made and money was withdrawn before the victims were released.

The allegations turn a common modern routine, arranging an in-person meeting after connecting online, into the centre of a police investigation. The reported pattern, as described by police, involved online contact first, then a planned meeting, then a robbery once the victim arrived.

Police link two Winnipeg locations

Investigators connected the robberies to locations on Eugenie Street and Polson Avenue in Winnipeg.

Police have not said the investigation is complete. They believe there may be additional victims and are asking anyone with information to contact investigators.

That appeal suggests police are still trying to determine the full scope of the alleged scheme. The known reports span several months, from February to August, and involve multiple victims who told police they had arranged to meet the same 44-year-old woman through online dating platforms.

Three arrests, two detained

Police arrested 44-year-old Reena Lee Ducherer and 51-year-old Kelly William James Johnston on Aug. 7. A 61-year-old man was arrested the following day.

Ducherer and Johnston face charges including robbery, kidnapping, forcible confinement and uttering threats. Both were detained in custody.

Reports differ on whether the 61-year-old man had been formally charged, but police accounts agree he was released on an undertaking.

Investigators seek more victims

Police believe more people may have been targeted and have not yet come forward.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact investigators. The appeal is aimed not only at people who may recognize details of the alleged robberies, but also at anyone who believes they or someone they know may have been a victim.

For now, the case remains centred on a disturbing allegation: that online dating platforms were used to arrange meetings with victims who were then robbed at knifepoint after arriving in person.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3 | Source 4