Tatianna Diz, a 20-year-old woman from Asheville, NC, was found dead on October 27, 2015. Her body was discovered in the French Broad River by members of the Asheville Fire Department and the Henderson County Technical Rescue Team. The Asheville Police Department confirmed that Tatianna Diz and another woman, Alexandra King, had been missing since the evening of October 27th.
Both women were last seen leaving their residence with Pierre Lamont Griffin II, a 22-year-old man who was later charged with their murders.
Autopsy reports revealed that Tatianna Diz died from a gunshot wound to the back of her head, which caused an injury to the right side of her brain. The medical examiner recovered a bullet from her skull. Diz also suffered bruises to her left knee and around her calf and shin area of her right leg. The toxicology report for Diz came back normal. The autopsy findings indicated that before the bodies were dumped into the river, both women were shot in the head and suffered bruises on various other parts of their bodies.
Pierre Lamont Griffin II was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of destroying a body or remains concealing an unnatural death, and one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon. Griffin was already under arrest in a separate killing that occurred on the same night when he was charged with the murders of Diz and King. According to police, King and Diz left their apartment in King's 1988 Volkswagen Jetta about 9:15 PM on October 27th and drove to Deaverview Apartments to pick up Griffin. The three then traveled directly to a secluded area near the French Broad River where King and Diz were shot and killed.
The investigation revealed that Griffin stole King's vehicle by means of assault, threatening, and endangering the lives of the women. He was in possession of a .38 caliber Smith and Wesson revolver. After leaving the river, Griffin made his way to Pisgah View Apartments, where he shot and killed Uhon Johnson, a 31-year-old man. Griffin fled the scene in Johnson's Ford Expedition and was later captured by law enforcement after a vehicle pursuit. The Asheville Police Department has no other suspects in the killings of King and Diz.
