Hello listeners, I'm your host Amara and this is Black Girl God, a true crime podcast.

From this episode of Black Girl God, I tell the story of 16-year-old Tiani Theos, who was found dead on January 8th, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.

In the years before her murder, Tiani had been struggling after her mother suffered a brain injury during a hit and run.

The day before she was found, Tiani told her father that she was going to a party with a friend, but she never returned home and no one in her family ever saw her alive again.

On January 8th, Tiani's body was found on the side of a highway in Los Angeles. She had been shot twice in the net.

As police began to investigate her murder, they discovered that Tiani was a victim in more ways than one.

But a year and a half later, her killer has not been found and her family has no answers about who killed her or why.

What happened to Tiani that night? And who is responsible for her murder?

This is Tiani's story. When I first heard about Tiani's murder, it was just days after it happened.

I don't remember how the story came to me, but I remember how shocking it was.

The murder of a 16-year-old girl who was shot and then dumped on the side of a road should outrage everyone.

And there were people that were angry. However, as the days passed and more information about Tiani's life before her untimely death began to emerge,

something disheartening happened. Some people, instead of offering empathy and seeking justice, started to use her circumstances as a justification for her tragic death, unjustly shifting the blame onto the victim herself.

It was as if they believed Tiani was at fault for her own murder.

In the midst of this misguided blame, a crucial factor seemed to be overlooked. Tiani's age.

We have to remember that we are discussing the murder of a 16-year-old girl on the cusp of adulthood, but still grappling with the complexity of self-life.

And although 16 is old enough to know some things, we also know that you cannot trust a 16-year-old to always make the right decision.

Adolescence is a time when vulnerability and susceptibility to outside influences are amplified, especially when it comes to adults who they think they can trust.

Teenagers often find themselves yearning for guidance and validation, and they will sometimes seek out those things and the relationships that they create.

Unfortunately, when you couple that with any trauma or a desire to escape their circumstances, whether physically or emotionally, some teenagers become rebellious.

When it comes to Tiani's murder, it is important to look at the broader context surrounding her life, a story that includes her struggles, her vulnerabilities, and the circumstances that may have contributed to some of her choices.

Rather than laying blame at the feet of a 16-year-old, we have to approach this tragedy with empathy and understanding and focus all of our energy on who killed her, because she was a victim and someone took advantage of her vulnerabilities.

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