Dynel Lane became one of the most discussed names in American crime after a March 2015 Craigslist ad turned into a near-fatal attack in Longmont, Colorado. Prosecutors said Dynel Lane lured a pregnant stranger to her home, assaulted her, and cut the woman’s unborn baby from her womb in an attempt to fake her own pregnancy.
The case tested Colorado’s fetal homicide laws, forced prosecutors to pursue attempted murder charges instead of homicide, and ended with a jury conviction and a 100-year prison sentence. Survivor Michelle Wilkins later spoke publicly about the attack and its aftermath. Here is what the public record shows about Dynel Lane, the crime, the trial, and the legal debate it reignited.
Dynel Lane Quick Facts
| Field | Details |
| Full Name | Dynel Catrece Lane |
| Also Known As | The “Craigslist baby” or “Longmont fetal abduction” suspect |
| Born | Approximately 1979-1981 (exact date not publicly disclosed) |
| Age at time of crime (2015) | 34 |
| Hometown | Pueblo, Colorado |
| Location of Attack | Longmont, Colorado |
| Occupation Before Arrest | Certified nursing assistant (license held 2010-2012) |
| Marital Status (2015) | Married to David Ridley |
| Children | Three; a son who died in 2002 and two daughters |
| Convicted Of | Attempted first-degree murder, assault, unlawful termination of a pregnancy |
| Conviction Date | February 2016 |
| Sentence | 100 years in prison (April 29, 2016) |
| Current Status (as of 2026) | Incarcerated in the Colorado Department of Corrections |
The Craigslist Ad That Started The Dynel Lane Case
The Dynel Lane case began with an ordinary online listing. On March 18, 2015, Lane posted a Craigslist ad in Longmont offering maternity and baby clothes for sale. Michelle Wilkins, then 26 and seven months pregnant, answered the ad and arranged to visit the seller’s home that afternoon.
Wilkins texted the seller, who identified herself only as “D,” to announce her arrival. That seller was Dynel Lane, a 34-year-old former nurse’s aide. What Wilkins expected to be a quick errand turned into a life-threatening attack inside Lane’s own house, just off a quiet Longmont street.
At the time, neither woman knew the other. Wilkins had simply been shopping for affordable maternity items ahead of her due date, and the ad Lane posted looked like countless other local listings. That ordinary appearance is part of what made the case so unsettling to the public: there was no prior relationship, no warning signs, and no reason for Wilkins to suspect danger before she arrived at the address listed in the ad.
Inside The Longmont Attack On Michelle Wilkins
Once inside, Lane led Wilkins to the basement, where the attack occurred. According to court testimony, Lane beat, choked, and stabbed Wilkins before cutting into her abdomen with a kitchen knife and removing the nearly full-term fetus.
Wilkins managed to call 911 while bleeding in the basement, telling the dispatcher, “I’m pregnant. She cut me in my stomach.” Police later found her badly injured but alive. The unborn baby, whom Wilkins had planned to name Aurora, did not survive the attack.
Lane’s husband, David Ridley, arrived home shortly afterward, believing he was picking his wife up for a prenatal appointment. Instead, he found Lane covered in blood and claiming she had just miscarried. He then discovered the infant in the bathtub and rushed both Lane and the baby to Longmont United Hospital, unaware that Wilkins remained in the basement until officers arrived and located her.
How Dynel Lane Faked A Pregnancy For Months
Investigators say Lane had convinced her husband, David Ridley, and others that she was pregnant for well over a year before the attack. She posted photos online showing what appeared to be a pregnant belly and sent Ridley an ultrasound image she had downloaded from the internet.
One of Lane’s teenage daughters later told police she could not tell her mother was pregnant because she remained visibly petite. Ridley eventually grew suspicious and pressed Lane to see a doctor, a demand police say may have pushed the fabricated pregnancy toward its violent conclusion.
Why Colorado Could Not File Murder Charges
Despite the severity of the attack, Boulder County District Attorney Stan Garnett could not charge Lane with murder in the baby’s death. Colorado law does not classify a fetus as a homicide victim unless there is proof it survived, however briefly, outside the womb.
Boulder County Coroner Emma Hall ruled the cause of death as fetal demise associated with an attempted cesarean-style abduction, finding no evidence the baby lived independently. As a result, prosecutors filed charges of attempted first-degree murder against Wilkins and first-degree unlawful termination of a pregnancy for the loss of the fetus.
The Dynel Lane Trial And Key Testimony
Lane’s trial opened in early 2016 and drew national attention. Lead investigator Detective Stacy Graham testified that Wilkins, sensing danger, told Lane “I love you” moments before the most violent part of the assault began. Graham said Lane replied, “If you love me, you’ll let me do this,” before stabbing her.
Defense attorneys did not dispute that Lane attacked Wilkins. Instead, they argued the assault was impulsive rather than premeditated and urged jurors to convict on the lesser charge of attempted manslaughter. Lane herself did not testify or speak during the trial.
David Ridley also took the stand, telling jurors that Lane had insisted for more than a year that she was carrying his son. Prosecutors used his testimony, along with the fabricated ultrasound image and staged photographs, to argue that the attack was the calculated outcome of a lie Lane could no longer sustain rather than a sudden, unplanned act.
Jury Convicts Dynel Lane Of Attempted Murder
In February 2016, a Boulder County jury found Lane guilty on seven counts: attempted first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, and unlawful termination of a pregnancy. Jurors rejected the defense’s argument that the attack lacked calculation.
The verdict confirmed what prosecutors had argued throughout the Dynel Lane trial: that Lane planned the encounter specifically to obtain a baby and support the pregnancy story she had maintained for months.
Dynel Lane Sentencing And The 100 Year Term
On April 29, 2016, Chief District Judge Maria Berkenkotter sentenced Lane to a combined 100 years in prison. Prosecutors had asked for as much as 118 years, citing the calculated cruelty of the crime. The sentence stacked the maximum penalties for attempted murder and unlawful termination of a pregnancy consecutively, along with two first-degree assault counts.
Berkenkotter called the attack “brutal, shocking and cruel,” noting Lane had shown no remorse throughout the trial. Lane declined to speak at her own sentencing hearing.
The sentence broke down into consecutive terms: 48 years for attempted murder, 32 years for unlawful termination of a pregnancy, and 10 years for each of two first-degree assault convictions, with additional mandatory parole periods attached to each count. Two second-degree assault convictions ran concurrently. Lane’s defense team indicated at the time that they intended to appeal the outcome.
Michelle Wilkins Survival And Advocacy Since 2015
Michelle Wilkins survived severe internal injuries and addressed Lane directly during the sentencing hearing. She told the court that Lane had knowingly left her to die and described Lane as living in a “narcissistic fantasy.” Wilkins also said she hoped Lane would eventually find healing.
In the years following the attack, Wilkins became a public voice on the legal gaps the case exposed, particularly around how Colorado law treats crimes against pregnant women and unborn children. She has spoken at hearings and in interviews about her recovery, both physical and emotional, and about wanting future victims to have clearer legal protections than she did.
Aurora And The Fetal Homicide Law Debate
The daughter Wilkins had planned to name Aurora became a symbol in Colorado’s broader debate over fetal homicide legislation. Because prosecutors could not file a murder charge, Republican lawmakers introduced a bill that would have made killing a fetus a form of homicide under state law.
Democrats rejected the proposal, marking the third time such legislation had failed in Colorado. At the time, 38 other states already classified the killing of a fetus as a form of homicide, making Colorado’s law an outlier that the Lane case pushed back into the spotlight. Opponents of the bill argued it risked being used to restrict abortion rights, while supporters framed it narrowly around violent attacks on pregnant women, a tension that has kept similar proposals from advancing in the years since.
Media And Public Reaction To The Dynel Lane Case
News of the attack spread quickly beyond Colorado, with national outlets covering the story within hours of Lane’s arrest. The graphic nature of the crime, combined with the unusual legal question of how to charge someone for harming a fetus, made the Dynel Lane case a recurring topic on cable news throughout 2015 and 2016.
Legal commentators used the case to explain the patchwork of state fetal homicide laws across the country. Women’s health advocates and pro-life groups both referenced the case, though for different reasons, with each side pointing to the legal gap as evidence for their broader positions on fetal personhood. The case also renewed public conversations about the risks of meeting strangers found through online classified ads.
Lessons From The Dynel Lane Case For Online Safety
Beyond its legal significance, the Dynel Lane case became a cautionary example frequently cited in discussions about meeting strangers found through classified listings. Safety advocates pointed to the case when urging buyers and sellers to meet in public locations rather than private homes, especially for in-person exchanges involving items like maternity or baby clothing.
Craigslist itself faced renewed scrutiny over safety messaging for users arranging local transactions. While the platform has long included general safety tips, cases like this one are still referenced in broader conversations about verifying identities and choosing safe meeting spots before any in-person exchange tied to an online ad. Parenting forums and local news outlets in Colorado revisited the case periodically in the years that followed, often alongside anniversary coverage of the attack or updates on Wilkins’ advocacy work.
Dynel Lane Family History And Earlier Tragedy
Court records and local reporting reveal a painful chapter in Lane’s past. In July 2002, while living in Pueblo, Colorado, Lane’s 19-month-old son, Michael Alexander Cruz, drowned in a decorative backyard pond. The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office ruled the death accidental.
Lane later testified at her sentencing hearing that she had never recovered from losing her son and said she had been desperate to have another baby. Before her arrest, she had worked as a certified nursing assistant in Pueblo, holding an active license from mid-2010 until early 2012 with no record of professional discipline. Former neighbors described her as quiet and largely unremarkable, telling local reporters they never saw warning signs of the violence she would later be convicted of committing.
Personal Information of Dynel Lane
Much of Dynel Lane’s early life remains outside the public record because court coverage focused on the criminal case rather than her biography. The details below reflect only what has been confirmed through court testimony, police records, and contemporaneous news reporting.
Full Name
Dynel Lane’s full legal name is Dynel Catrece Lane.
Date of Birth
Dynel Lane’s exact date of birth has not been made public, though court records place her age at 34 during the March 2015 attack.
Age
As of 2026, Dynel Lane is believed to be in her mid-forties, based on her reported age at the time of her arrest.
Birthplace
Dynel Lane’s specific birthplace has not been publicly disclosed in available court or news records.
Nationality
Dynel Lane holds American nationality.
Ethnicity
Dynel Lane’s ethnicity has not been publicly disclosed in available records.
Religion
Dynel Lane’s religious affiliation, if any, has not been publicly disclosed.
Education
Dynel Lane completed training as a certified nursing assistant and held an active Colorado license from July 2010 to January 2012.
Hobbies
Dynel Lane’s personal hobbies and interests have not been documented in public records.
Marital Status
At the time of the 2015 attack, Dynel Lane’s marital status was married.
Spouse or Partner
Dynel Lane was married to David Ridley, who lived with her and was present the day of the attack.
Children
Dynel Lane had three children: a son, Michael Alexander Cruz, who died in 2002, and two daughters from her relationship with David Ridley.
Parents and Siblings
Information about Dynel Lane’s parents and siblings has not been made public.
Physical Appearance
Dynel Lane’s physical description has never been formally documented in court records or verified biographical sources beyond courtroom photographs and news footage from her 2015 arrest and 2016 trial. No official height, weight, or other measurements have been publicly released, and none of the major outlets that covered the case published a detailed physical profile, since coverage focused almost entirely on the crime, the legal proceedings, and the victim’s recovery.
Height
Dynel Lane’s exact height has not been publicly documented.
Weight
Dynel Lane’s weight has not been publicly documented.
Eye Color
Dynel Lane’s eye color has not been confirmed in public records.
Hair Color
News photographs from Dynel Lane’s arrest and trial show light brown hair, though this has not been formally documented as an official record.
Body Type
Dynel Lane’s body type has not been publicly documented.
Skin Tone
Dynel Lane’s skin tone has not been formally documented in public records.
Shoe Size
Dynel Lane’s shoe size has not been publicly disclosed.
Tattoos
There is no public record confirming whether Dynel Lane has any tattoos.
Piercings
There is no public record confirming whether Dynel Lane has any piercings.
Distinctive Features
No distinctive physical features have been documented in publicly available records about Dynel Lane.
Social Media Profiles
Dynel Lane has no verified public social media presence, as she has been incarcerated in the Colorado Department of Corrections since her 2016 sentencing. Any accounts using her name online are not confirmed to be authentic, and no official website, fan page, or verified handle exists for her.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Dynel Lane?
Dynel Lane is a Colorado woman convicted in 2016 of attempted murder after luring a pregnant stranger, Michelle Wilkins, to her home in 2015 and cutting the unborn baby from her womb.
What did Dynel Lane do?
Dynel Lane attacked and stabbed a pregnant woman who responded to her Craigslist ad, then cut the woman’s fetus from her body in an attempt to fake her own pregnancy.
Is Dynel Lane still in prison?
As of 2026, Dynel Lane remains incarcerated in the Colorado Department of Corrections, serving the 100-year sentence handed down in April 2016.
How long is Dynel Lane’s sentence?
Judge Maria Berkenkotter sentenced Dynel Lane to 100 years in prison, combining consecutive maximum terms for attempted murder, unlawful termination of a pregnancy, and two assault counts.
Who is Michelle Wilkins?
Michelle Wilkins is the survivor of the 2015 attack. She was seven months pregnant when she answered Dynel Lane’s Craigslist ad and was later attacked in Lane’s basement.
Was Dynel Lane charged with murder?
No. Colorado law did not allow murder charges because the coroner found no evidence the fetus survived outside the womb, so prosecutors filed attempted murder and related charges instead.
What happened to Dynel Lane’s own child?
Dynel Lane’s 19-month-old son drowned in a backyard pond in Pueblo, Colorado, in 2002, a death the sheriff’s office ruled accidental.
Did Dynel Lane apologize?
Dynel Lane did not speak or express remorse during her trial, and she declined to address the court at her sentencing hearing in April 2016.
What is the Dynel Lane case also known as?
The case is widely referred to as the “Craigslist baby case” or the Longmont fetal abduction case, named for the online ad used to lure the victim.
Where did the Dynel Lane attack happen?
The attack took place inside Dynel Lane’s home in Longmont, Colorado, on March 18, 2015.
What charges was Dynel Lane convicted of?
A jury convicted Dynel Lane of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, and unlawful termination of a pregnancy.
Has Colorado changed its fetal homicide law since the Dynel Lane case?
Lawmakers introduced fetal homicide legislation after the Dynel Lane case, but it failed in the state legislature, marking the third such attempt rejected in Colorado.
Conclusion
The Dynel Lane case remains one of the most disturbing criminal cases in recent Colorado history, combining a calculated deception with a violent attack that nearly cost Michelle Wilkins her life. Dynel Lane’s 100-year sentence reflected the severity of a crime that Colorado’s existing laws struggled to fully classify, since the state could not charge her with murder in the death of the unborn baby.
The case pushed lawmakers to revisit fetal homicide legislation, even though that effort ultimately failed, and it left a lasting mark on how the state talks about crimes against pregnant women.For readers researching Dynel Lane today, the clearest takeaway is that the public record centers almost entirely on the crime, trial, and sentencing, with much of her personal background never formally documented.
Michelle Wilkins survived and has continued to speak publicly about the attack, while Dynel Lane remains behind bars serving a sentence that, absent a successful appeal, will keep her incarcerated for the rest of her life. Anyone encountering unverified biographical claims about Dynel Lane online should treat them with caution, since so little beyond the court record has ever been independently confirmed.
