Former escort wary of website after murder

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - A former Charleston escort says a website should be taken down in the wake of the murder of a current escort on a busy North Charleston street

The website is called Backpage.com, which is one of the most popular websites for finding escorts.

A former Charleston escort we are calling "Jackie" once did her business on Backpage.

Jackie had her own profile on Backpage for three years.

She says the website is there for one purpose.

"Girls put their pictures up and guys go through it like a restaurant menu," she explained.

North Charleston police say 41 year old Pamelia Gravely was an escort who had a profile on Backpage.

Gravely was shot dead Monday night on Tanger Outlet Boulevard.

Jackie didn't know Gravely but says she was not surprised to hear about her murder.

"I don't think it was a coincidence she was an escort and got killed. There's people out there who prey on escorts to rob them," the former escort said.

That fear factor prompted Jackie to take her ad off Backpage.

"Guys coming in, scary, just a few scary situations where I kind of feared for my safety, because you don't know what is walking in the door."

still, Jackie says Backpage is more popular than ever.

"Backpage has raised the price to post on there because Charleston's getting so popular," she said. "It used to be maybe like just five to ten ads at the most and now you've got 20,30,50 posts sometimes just in a day."

She says that means many more escorts are messing around with danger.

Jackie wants Backpage to go out of business.

"You got these street level people such as you know, the people that killed that poor lady on there, robbing people, killing people, don't know what they're running into."

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