In April 2023, Michael Dale, a 56-year-old man, paid Michaela Brashaye Rylaarsdam, a 29-year-old (at the time) OnlyFans model, over $11,000 (Sh1.4million) to visit his home in Escondido and perform BDSM acts.
BDSM includes activities such as bondage, dominance, and submission. The two began communicating in March 2023 after Dale found her through an escort service ad.
After exchanging messages and calls, Rylaarsdam agreed to visit Dale’s home on April 17, 2023. When she arrived at 6 p.m., she noticed that Dale appeared drunk. Despite this, they engaged in several hours of fetish activities.
According to police, some of Dale’s requests were unusual. For example, he asked Rylaarsdam to wrap him in Saran Wrap like a mummy, glue women’s boots onto his feet with Gorilla Glue, and seal his eyes shut with an adhesive.
However, investigators found no evidence that Dale asked her to put a bag over his head, which ultimately caused him to suffocate and die.
When emergency responders arrived, they found Dale unconscious while Rylaarsdam was performing CPR on him. She denied putting anything over his head and claimed this was her first time engaging in fetish activities.
Police discovered videos on her phone showing their acts, which she said were intended as content for her OnlyFans account. She runs the account with her husband, Brandon, who is also the father of her three children.
Police believe Dale’s head was covered with a plastic bag for at least eight minutes. The San Diego County medical examiner determined that he died from homicidal asphyxia.
On February 19, 2025, Escondido police arrested Rylaarsdam on second-degree murder charges. She has pleaded not guilty and is being held in jail without bail.