Chaniya L. Wynn, a 1-year-old girl of African American ethnicity, tragically lost her life on February 19, 2012, in Cleveland, Ohio. Chaniya's mother, 19-year-old Latasha R. Jackson, also perished in the incident. The two were found shot to death in a closed garage of an unoccupied building.
The incident began when Latasha and her brother were walking with Chaniya on East 72nd Avenue in Cleveland.
Thomas Lorde, the estranged boyfriend of Latasha and the father of Chaniya, approached them and pulled out a gun. He ordered Latasha's brother to run away, and then kidnapped Latasha and Chaniya.
An Amber Alert was issued, naming Lorde as the kidnapping suspect. He was described as a violent sexual predator with felony warrants out of New York. Hours later, the bodies of Latasha, Chaniya, and Thomas Lorde were discovered in the garage. Lorde was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The tragic incident was determined to be a murder-suicide. Cleveland police did not release further details of the investigation. The community mourned the loss of the young mother and her daughter, and the case drew significant media attention due to the heartbreaking nature of the crime and the young age of the victims.
