Megan Waterman, Craigslist Escort, Goes Missing, Police Say

PORTLAND, Maine -- A 22-year-old Maine woman who advertised as an escort on Craigslist and traveled regularly to New York has been missing for nearly two weeks, police said.

Megan Waterman, of Scarborough, went to New York late last month with her boyfriend and was last heard from on the night of June 5.

Police were treating her disappearance as a missing-persons case, said Scarborough Police Detective Don Blatchford. Her Craigslist ads "might be involved in this," but authorities were still investigating, Blatchford said.

Waterman went to New York with her boyfriend, Akeem Cruz, 20, of Brooklyn, over Memorial Day weekend and was last seen at a hotel in Hauppauge on Long Island, police said.

Waterman and Cruz regularly traveled to New York, said Waterman's mother, Lorraine Ela of South Portland. Waterman always called three times a day when she was on the road to speak to her 3-year-old daughter, Liliana, but the last such call came at 9:50 p.m. June 5, Ela said.

Ela said her daughter was aware of the potential dangers of advertising her services online.

"We have talked to Megan about her being on Craigslist, but she's 22 and it's her life and she can do what she wants with it," she said.

Cruz has been questioned by police and is considered a witness in the case, Blatchford said.

The Associated Press could not locate Cruz for comment.

Portland police said he was arrested in an unrelated case Tuesday. Cruz was charged with criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon and criminal mischief for allegedly threatening a woman with a knife and slashing her tires. He was no longer in custody Thursday, jail officials said.

Comments

[sebbysmom2003]

07:33 AM on 06/22/2010

www.meganwaterman.com
PLEASE as the aunt of this missing girl have some compassion. No matter what her choices people love and care for her and we want her back. She didn't just run away and leave her life behind. We her loving family and friends have pushed to make this a national story becasue her life makes a difference to some of us. I certainly knew people woud make comments because about her lifestyle ( we have as well to her ) but am shocked that some of you say act as though her life had no value at all. Please join this site and help spread the word.

[Temsi]

02:59 PM on 06/22/2010

So sorry for your heartache. There's a lot of callous people out there, and in here.
Don't let them get to you - they're just judgmental cowards hiding behind keyboards.

[sebbysmom2003]

08:17 PM on 06/22/2010

Thank you. The supportive outweigh the non as I read through hundreds of Newpaper posts from across the country. I just want people to know she isn't just a story to some people.

[gtx281]

04:50 AM on 06/21/2010

Play with fire and you'll eventually get burned...

[Ice woman]

01:22 AM on 06/21/2010

For anyone questioning about escorting/prostitution please see the documentary "Very Young Girls."

It's about GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services). This organization was started by a woman who was a former prostitute herself. These young girls, as young as 10, tell their stories about how they got hooked into the game.

It's heartbreakingly, agonizingly devastating. What makes it worse, this is happening more than you'd think.

[SrAN]

08:46 PM on 06/20/2010

If a woman feels that being a Craig's List escort they should ensure that they have a trust worthy body guard. But I have this odd feeling of not feeling too overwhelmed by this story because she is a mother, this was not just her life she was living she should have thought about her daughter. People today should have a grip on reality, if you are meeting strangers for money expect to meet at least one who is not paying you for just a nice night out. How many stories have to circulate before women realize that predators do exist and the more you put yourself out there, especially as an escort, the more likely it is you will run into a predator?

[Balzac]

08:23 PM on 06/20/2010

They need to do a thing like the Dateline program for catching the men who seek to meet under-age girls, except catch a would-be killer and suddenly, lights and cameras are on him.

I think society treats killers of women too kindly, especially those killers who prey on professional women. Men kill women all the time, but it's not so common for a woman to kill a man. I think the solution is to be ever more severe in sentencing men who threaten females.

[bynddrvn5]

08:02 PM on 06/20/2010

What? Illegal activities and dealing with people who break the law - dangerous? Say it isn't so!!

[MacManLB]

07:43 PM on 06/20/2010

"We have talked to Megan about her being on Craigslist, but she's 22 and it's her life and she can do what she wants with it."

The above philosophy is desperately dangerous and down right stupid. Tell that to her three-year-old child.

John Donne was right when he said, "...no man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

[moonflowerjewelry]

08:36 PM on 06/20/2010

You can't put an adult under house arrest because they engage in risky behavior- you can't legislate better parenting skills. You can't legislate that a person have more self respect than to involve herself (or himself) in sketchy activities.
Believe me, I find this scenario heartbreaking, even more so that she has a child. Many people NEVER learn (whether at 22 or 82) that simple, seemingly inocuous and mundane decisions can end or change a life forever. What was she seeking that was so important that she would suspend a basic self preservation instinct? I am watching a dearly loved one go through the recovery from a hard-core addcition. We can love them, but we cannot make their decisions for them.

[MacManLB]

08:59 PM on 06/20/2010

The decisions that we make have consequences that not only affect us but they have an effect on those to whom we are connected. I cannot do whatever I want to do because of the people that I am connected to. I have a three children who depend on me. That's why they are called "Dependents". What would it look like if I were to drive 130 to 150 miles per hour on the German autobahn knowing the dangers and likelihood of a catastrophic accident. It may be thrilling but it would also be one of the most selfish and shortsighted things a father could do.

[ywcachieve]

01:56 AM on 06/21/2010

Whoever is watching after her minor child, most certainly does have the right to tell her not to engage in risky behavior.

[noladebby]

07:04 PM on 06/20/2010

This is is all so shocking....NOT. I hope she's alive but we all know the reality of the situation.

[Balzac]

06:55 PM on 06/20/2010

I'm really angry about this.

[moonflowerjewelry]

06:54 PM on 06/20/2010

Grown ups make stupid decisions, don't they?

[Balzac]

07:07 PM on 06/20/2010

Such equanimity and compassion. Buddha would be proud of your comment, with your profile picture bearing his likeness. (Actually not.)

[kareemachan]

05:04 PM on 06/20/2010

Ela said her daughter was aware of the potential dangers of advertising her services online.
"We have talked to Megan about her being on Craigslist, but she's 22 and it's her life and she can do what she wants with it," she said.

No, when you have a 3-year old daughter, it's NOT your life to do with what you want. You have what are commonly called "responsibilities" to do the right thing and keep yourself around to be a parent.

[letsbepositive]

06:12 PM on 06/20/2010

Wait, doesn't it say she is "missing". I know it looks bad, but maybe she ran away leaving her entire past.
It has been done before. I hope she is not dead, and will be found alive or come back.

[Balzac]

03:18 PM on 06/20/2010

Women should always have an enforcer and protector available at a moment's notice, or else they should stay away from this kind of transaction. I fear the worst, but I hope she's okay. If anyone has any information or knows her whereabouts, they should come forward.

[saltgirl]

03:53 PM on 06/20/2010

Those are probably what her 'boyfriend' was to her.

[Dr Zanzibar]

07:30 PM on 06/20/2010

aka a pimp?

Setting back the women's movement one flag at a time.

[Balzac]

07:42 PM on 06/20/2010

It depends on whether or not the escort can choose from among multiple security providers. The right of the worker to ply her trade (the exchange of money for intimate services - a transaction between consenting adults) is the question.

If she adults have the right to choose to make such a transaction without the prohibition of a government acting "in loco parentis", then she can have more options for a secure work environment. She doesn't have to hide from the authorities, and then her own security is much more easy to maintain.

[Temsi]

02:28 PM on 06/20/2010

Yet another example of why her services need to be legalized. Girls like her have no legal recourse - and many of them are too afraid to call 911 if they're threatened because of what they do. It's a horrible and ultimately sexist injustice. All true feminists should demand immediate legalization - because ultimately, legalization protects women.

[floodberg]

02:44 PM on 06/20/2010

The odds are 9/10 the boyfriend killed her. The article doesn't say a word about her going 'on business', that angle was only used to grab a headline.

COYOTE has been around for a long time, btw. So has the payola system, and it's stronger.

[Temsi]

05:14 PM on 06/20/2010

I agree that it's likely the boyfriend had a hand in this - statistically that's usually how it plays out.
The article actually did talk about her business, when it stated that it wasn't known if her business was in any way connected - but the mere fact that such a connection CAN be made in a headline (because it's common), is exactly why this must be legalized.
The rate of violence against working girls is far lower wherever it's legal. Also, if you look at the attitude of this futbol4fun here below, that's exactly the kind of attitude that needs to be adjusted - and the first step towards doing that is by legalizing and de-stigmatizing the world's oldest profession. The current status only perpetuates the "she had it coming" crap that comes from people like futbol4fun.

[futbol4fun]

03:01 PM on 06/20/2010

Or legalization is the codification of the objectification of women. "Hey baby, hookins' legal now, want to make $50?" Perhaps this is why people like yo want to see it legalized.

[Temsi]

05:09 PM on 06/20/2010

Here's a dollar, go buy a clue.

[Hans Meiser]

09:01 PM on 06/20/2010

No, you are completely wrong. Visit places where prostitution is legal and regulated and see the difference. The women can get check-up's and tests done in an affordable way, they are protected by laws and police and everybody knows where to find them (red-light district).
A woman who has the drive and the means and the education to do something better will not become a prostitute because it's a valid job all of a sudden.

[MichaelMcKLA]

02:24 PM on 06/20/2010

Every computer-savvy thief, psychopath, liar, con-man, screwball, badboy and thug on the planet uses Craigslist. Be careful out there.

(Quality achievement, Craig. You did what nobody else has done. Or wanted to do, for that matter.)

[Temsi]

02:33 PM on 06/20/2010

Actually, the numbskulls who went after Craigslist and forced him to take down his escort section are more culpable than he is, as they're the ones pushing this activity underground instead of allowing it to stay in public or better yet, legalize it. Craig just answered a demand.
Don't blame craigslist for this.

[Yellow Parrott]

01:44 PM on 06/20/2010

She was an escort?????????