A sense of unease led a concerned coworker to the Miami Township apartment of 36-year-old Tiffany Collins on Friday, September 4, 2026. Collins had uncharacteristically missed her shift at work, and upon entering the unlocked apartment to the sound of a ringing phone, the coworker made a grim discovery. Tiffany Collins was found lying on the ground, the victim of a fatal gunshot wound. Her death would set in motion a frantic and widespread manhunt for the man believed to be responsible, her 27-year-old boyfriend, Tywon Stephens. The investigation into Collins' death was quickly handed over to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation at the request of the Miami Township Police Chief, a decision made to ensure impartiality due to a personal connection between Collins' brother and a lieutenant within the department.
Following the discovery of Collins' body, authorities began to piece together a timeline of events that painted a picture of a violent and chaotic crime spree. Investigators believe that after allegedly shooting and killing his girlfriend on September 3rd, Stephens fled in her Chrysler 300. His desperate attempt to evade capture escalated into a series of brazen crimes that spanned multiple jurisdictions. Later that evening, he was reportedly involved in an attempted carjacking of a semi-truck in Moraine, assaulting the driver before abandoning the effort. He then successfully stole another vehicle, which he subsequently crashed. The escalating series of events culminated in a dramatic confrontation with Dayton police officers.
The pursuit of Tywon Stephens came to a head in a chaotic scene that unfolded in a Dayton neighborhood. After crashing the second stolen vehicle, Stephens engaged with law enforcement, reportedly attacking an officer and attempting to take his firearm before biting the officer. In a shocking turn of events, he then managed to steal a Dayton police cruiser. The ensuing chase ended when Stephens crashed the stolen cruiser into a house. Fortunately, the two occupants and their dog inside the home were unharmed. The violent end to the chase resulted in injuries to seven officers, with six requiring hospital treatment. Stephens was finally taken into custody, bringing an end to his destructive rampage. He was subsequently booked into the Montgomery County Jail, held on a $1 million bond.
Tywon Stephens has since been indicted by a Montgomery County Grand Jury on a multitude of felony charges, including murder, kidnapping, felonious assault on a peace officer, and aggravated robbery. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The case against him encompasses a wide range of violent acts, from the tragic death of Tiffany Collins to the series of carjackings and the final, destructive crash of a stolen police vehicle. Stephens has a known criminal history, including past convictions for aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and gross sexual imposition involving a minor. The community now awaits the progression of the legal proceedings, seeking justice for Tiffany Collins and a resolution to the violent series of events that followed her death.
