Three of the men died, authorities said, and she has been charged in one of their deaths. Aurora Phelps, 43, who is in custody in Mexico , faces 21 counts including wire fraud, identity theft and one count of kidnapping resulting in death, Sue Fahami, the acting US attorney for the district of Nevada, said at a news conference. One of the four victims — who were all targeted in and — awoke from a coma after Phelps gave him prescription sedatives over the course of a week, Evans added.
In one instance, Phelps is alleged to have kidnapped a victim by heavily sedating him and taking him across the US-Mexico border in a wheelchair — and then to a Mexico City hotel room, where he was later found dead.
After incapacitating her victims, Evans said, Phelps stole their cars, withdrew money from their bank accounts, used their credit cards to purchase luxury items and gold, and even tried to access social security and retirement accounts. According to the indictment, Phelps met one man in July , went on lunch dates with him, ordered lunch to his house that November and slipped him a prescription drug.
Authorities believe Phelps used popular dating apps including Tinder, Hinge and Bumble to find her targets. The men were lonely and looking for companionship and went on multiple dates with Phelps before she stealthily gave them sedatives, according to Evans. He declined to comment on her criminal history. Phelps does not have a US-based attorney who could speak on her behalf, a spokesperson for the justice department said.
One woman was unable to reach her father the day after he went on a date with Phelps in Guadalajara, Mexico, in May , according to court records. The next day, Mexican police found him dead on the bathroom floor of his home.
