The Clay County Sheriff’s Office in Florida announced the arrest of a man who allegedly used the alias Larry on the gay dating and hookup app Grindr to target gay men for assault and armed robbery. A spokesperson for the sheriff specifically thanked the local community for providing critical and timely information to investigators.
Adam Tyler Ayers, Jr., 18, was taken into custody without incident on Friday for three separate incidents in Clay County. Ayers allegedly created different profiles all using the name Larry, which investigators say he used to identify and lure gay men to a secluded location.
“Once the victims arrived, the suspects brandished a firearm and demanded cash from the victims,” Clay County Sheriff’s posted to social media. “In two of the incidents, the suspects forced the victims to drive to an ATM and withdraw cash from their accounts and transfer money to a Cash App account. These incidents all occurred during the late night/early morning hours.”
Information and tips resulting from the photo and press release was immediate and aided investigators in establishing the identity and location of Ayes. He was taken into custody a day after the press release and his picture were posted to social media.
“Thanks to the help of our community, detectives received numerous tips about the identity of the wanted subject. These tips helped us identify our suspect and locate and arrest our subject,” Sheriff Michelle Cook said in a video statement posted to social media, later adding, “I’d especially like to thank our community because once we put that photo up within minutes we started receiving really good information.”
Grindr has seen its popular platform used by numerous individuals to target the gay community for robbery, assault, and murder in recent years.
A Louisiana man and Jeffrey Dahmer acolyte who confessed to the kidnapping and attempted murder and dismemberment of a gay man he met on Grindr was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison in January. Chance Seneca, 21, of Lafayette, had pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping Holden White, a man he met on Grindr. The attack took place on June 20, 2020. Seneca had been charged with six counts, including hate crime, kidnapping, firearm, and obstruction charges, and faced a possible life sentence if convicted on all charges.
In February a Miami man, Stevenson Charles, 21, admitted he engaged in an escalating series of crimes against five gay men he targeted on Grindr from October 23 to November 6 last year. He pleaded guilty to 17 different charges related to the crime spree, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.
The investigation into Ayres and the attacks continues. Investigators ask anyone with information on these or other similar attacks to contact them at (904) 264-6512 or to submit tips via the SaferWatch app.
