In the autumn of 2023, the life of 15-year-old Janiya Carr was tragically cut short in Indianapolis, Indiana. A student at Arsenal Technical High school, Janiya was looking forward to her sixteenth birthday and had recently attended her school's homecoming. Her family's world was turned upside down when she was reported missing on October 30, 2023, after not returning to her home at the Carriage House East Apartments. The last time her mother, Demetria Boston, spoke with her was on Friday, October 27th.
A grim discovery was made on November 1, 2023, when a person walking their dog found Janiya's body in a wooded area behind the very apartment complex where she lived. Investigators from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department determined she had sustained injuries consistent with a gunshot wound. The news sent shockwaves of grief and fear through the community, as a young life full of promise had been senselessly extinguished.
The investigation swiftly focused on a suspect who was disturbingly close to home: 34-year-old Tevis Walker, a maintenance worker at the Carriage House East Apartments where Janiya and her family resided. Surveillance footage from the early morning of October 28th allegedly captured Janiya getting into a Kia Optima registered to Walker. The vehicle was later seen on video driving to the wooded area where her body was ultimately discovered.
Tevis Walker was arrested on November 2, 2023, in connection with Janiya's death. It was also revealed that he had outstanding warrants for his arrest in both Alabama and Georgia. Prosecutors formally charged Walker with one count of murder in the shooting death of Janiya Carr. Following his arrest, the company that manages the apartment complex stated that Walker had passed state and national background checks prior to his employment. After a court appearance, a judge ordered that Walker be held without bond until his trial.
