Mom With 2nd Online Life Found Dead Outside This Home

Calera, Ala., buzzing over mysterious death
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 22, 2018 8:03 AM CST
Mom With 2nd Online Life Found Dead Outside This Home
This Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018 photo, shows the home of homicide victim Kathleen Dawn West in Calera, Ala. West identified herself as an exhibitionist on a website offering adult photos. She was found dead outside the house, and no arrests have been made.   (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)

Kathleen Dawn West described herself as a full-time wife and mom on Facebook but lived another life on other social media platforms, calling herself an exhibitionist and posting risque photos with a chance for subscribers to see sexier images for $15.99 a month. The 42-year-old's partially nude body was found dead outside her Alabama home, and authorities are now faced with a question: Did West's online activities play a role in her death? Police have classified West's death as a homicide, but they haven't said how she died. No charges had been filed by Friday, six days after she died. But the mysterious nature of West's death—she was found dead early Jan. 13 in the quiet bedroom community of Calera, a town of 14,000 people about 35 miles south of Birmingham—has people buzzing.

At least two Facebook groups with more than 2,200 members total have been created to discuss the case (Gizmodo digs into their theories). West posted photos of her husband and daughter on her own Facebook account, but seemed like a different person on other online accounts, reports the AP. With a personal description that included "exhibitionist," West had a private Instagram account under the name Kitty Kat West, reports Al.com, with nearly 52,000 followers that linked to a paid site that featured adult content and "naughty fun." Some of the images were included on a site for "mature hotties." Initially, West just tweeted links to a site where she sold clothing items, including dresses, coats, shoes, and kid's clothing. The feed took a sharp turn Aug. 11, when she tweeted: "Happy Frisky Friday - Let's get this party started," with a link to the pay-per-view site. The posts continued until the morning before her death. The AP has more.

(More murder stories.)

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