COLUMBUS — A 33-year-old Columbus woman who allegedly met men for sex and drugged them so she could rob them has been indicted in four murders, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Columbus Division of Police Chief Elaine Bryant announced Wednesday.
Rebecca Auborn faces 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 – all felonies.
“Don’t buy sex in Ohio – it ruins lives and could cost you yours,” Yost said.
The indictment, handed down Wednsday by a Franklin County grand jury, stems from a joint investigation by homicide detectives from the Columbus Division of Police and special agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
“These indictments are a result of our close collaboration with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation,” Chief Bryant said.
“The Columbus Division of Police remains dedicated to ensuring justice for all victims and their families affected by the actions of a single individual.”
The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, formed under Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, received information that a woman was allegedly meeting men for sex in northeast Columbus, then dosing the “johns” with drugs in order to steal their possessions.
During their investigation, detectives from the Columbus Division of Police, which leads the task force, and BCI special agents, who also serve on the task force, connected Auborn to several overdoses and robberies.
These include:
- Victim 1, attempted overdose on 12/13/2022
- Victim 2, fatal overdose on 1/15/2023
- Victim 3, fatal overdose on 4/1/2023
- Victim 4, fatal overdose on 4/13/2023
- Victim 5, fatal overdose on 6/17/2023
As part of the same investigation, Auborn had previously been charged on Sept. 11 with aggravated robbery, felonious assault, murder, corruption of another with drugs, trafficking in drugs and the illegal manufacture of drugs.
She has been in the Franklin County jail since the latter charges were filed.
Investigators, who believe that additional victims may exist, are continuing their investigation with a concentration on Auborn’s activities between December 2022 and August 2023 and within the area of I-71, State Route 161, Cleveland Avenue and E. 17th Avenue.
Anyone with information related to overdose deaths that occurred during those time periods and near those locations should contact the Columbus Division of Police homicide tip line at 614-645-2228.
The joint investigation remains ongoing.
Indictments merely contain allegations; defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.