Website Offering Adult Services Widely Used In Central Illinois

PEKIN -- Authorities said Cohee's alleged killer is a prostitute, and prostitution is becoming a big problem locally in part because of a website called Backpage.com.

Backpage.com is a website similar to many other online marketplaces - like E-Bay or Craigslist.

But if you take a closer look, Backpage offers something those other websites do not.

Pekin Police Spokesman said, "There's also an adult section where you can inquire about different adult services."

Those adult services can range from an escort to a massage, but Jolly knows first hand it may mean even more than that.

Jolly said, "Some of them may be legitimate services, but like in our case it was advertised as massage type stuff and look at the arrests that we had."

This year, the Pekin Police Department used the website to arrest prostitutes and crack down on the illegal acts.

So how is this website even up and running? Jolly said users are able to get away with posting online because they keep the description of their services very vague.

He said, "There are probably genuine escort services out there, or massage services, but I think in some of them you can read between the lines and really see there's probably more that goes on than just massages and escort service."

Just today alone, more than a dozen ads have been posted in the Peoria area.

He said even though law enforcement is looking into the issue, it hasn't stopped Backpage users. " I wouldn't say it so much deters them from it. I think it makes them a little more suspicious, a little bit. But obviously, when you have people doing this type of stuff, they have one thought in mind."

Jolly added that anyone, including underage teens, can access the advertisments. All one has to do is click "agree" on the initial disclaimer page.