The horrifying case of LaTania Janell Carwell
LaTania Janell Carwell was a young and intelligent black woman who wanted to be a doctor. She was an Honor student at T.W.
Josey Comprehensive High School. She lived with her mother Tanya Tripp and stepfather Leon Tripp, along with her little sister in Richmond County, Augusta, Georgia.
The Young Teenage Girl Had a Lot Going on in Her Life
LaTania celebrated her 16th birthday party on 17 April 2017. She had had a cook-out party with friends at her home. At night, she was winding up everything with her stepfather, Leon, whilst her mother went to bed.
LaTania and Leon later retired to bed that night. But, Leon woke LaTania up around midnight because he wanted to borrow her phone. Leon wanted to help his friend whose car had broken down with a ride.
Unfortunately, Leon wasn’t well-equipped with the knowledge of the technology on LaTania’s phone for directions. He couldn’t even use a map. So Leon had to ask LaTania to accompany him to Clarksville, South Carolina, so he could help his friend.
When LaTania and Leon didn’t return home the next day, LaTania’s mother, Tanya, got worried. The fact that none of them were answering their phones added to her panic. So she called the police to file a missing people’s report.
“It’s not like them not to answer the phone. I’ve been calling and texting and leaving messages and nothing.” said Tanya
NB: The above narrative was Tanya’s side of the story about what happened prior to her daughter’s disappearance.
The search for LaTania and Leon started immediately. Both the community and the police were involved. Tanya even went live on Facebook, appealing to the public that she needed her daughter back home. However, the search went on for more than two weeks without any success.
Finally, the Police Found A Lead
In late April 2017, the authorities found Leon’s car. The authorities went on to look into LaTania’s and Leon’s phone records. They discovered that the two didn’t make it to Clarksville. But there was no evidence that any malpractice had happened in the car.
And soon enough, reports started coming in about Leon’s sighting.
Leon was spotted alone in Atlanta. But LaTania was nowhere to be found. With the new information, the police looked into Leon’s past. Leon had assault charges, cruelty to children charges, and had served a prison sentence before.
Leon got married to Tanya whilst he was still in prison. He moved in with Tanya and her two daughters in 2015, as soon as he was released from prison.
The authorities believed Leon had abducted Latania. They had every reason to place Leon as a prime suspect in the whole disappearance case. But, Tanya felt otherwise. She defended Leon all the time.
Later on, a call came in for the police informing them that Leon was sighted at a U-Haul depot in Atlanta. And when the police arrived at the scene, they couldn’t believe their eyes.
Betrayed by Her Parents
Tanya was right there with Leon at a U-Haul depot in Atlanta. Both Tanya and Leon were arrested. Leon was charged with abduction. And Tanya was charged with hindering the apprehension of a criminal.
The police discovered that the 911 call Tanya had made earlier sent them searching in the wrong direction.
Almost a year after LaTania disappeared, the police received a call about human remains that were discovered in Augusta. It was confirmed that the remains belonged to LaTania.
Conclusion
Leon and Tanya were found guilty of the murder of their own daughter, LaTania. In 2018, it was discovered that Leon and Tanya had even unsuccessfully attempted to use a hitman more than three times to kill LaTania. The motive behind LaTania’s murder is still unknown.
Today, Leon faces the death penalty, whilst Tanya faces second-degree murder charges.
Sources: People.com, Augustachronicle, Anna solves