August 8, 2025 • 10 mins
In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: When 15-year-old Janiya Carr disappeared from her Indianapolis apartment complex just weeks before her 16th birthday, her community feared the worst. Days later, her body was found—and the man arrested for her murder wasn’t a stranger. He was the maintenance worker with keys to their homes. How did he get hired? What went unnoticed? And could this tragedy have been prevented?
This is the story of Janiya Carr.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that shook Indianapolis, Indiana. In November twenty
twenty three, a fifteen year old girl who had just
(00:21):
celebrated homecoming and was weeks away from her sixteenth birthday
vanished from her apartment complex in the early morning hours.
When her body was discovered three days later, the community
learned that the person responsible for her death was someone
who had access to their homes and their trust. This
(00:44):
is the story of Jania Carr. Jania Carr was just
fifteen years old, with her whole life ahead of her.
She was living with her mother, Demitria Boston, at carriage
House East Apartments in Indianapolis. Dimitria described her daughter as
(01:07):
a firecracker and said she is a fighter, a girl
known for her bold spirit and tenacity.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Jenia had never truly run.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Away before, and if she ever ran, she always checked in.
She had recently attended her school's homecoming dance, and her
mother said Jenia was looking forward to turning sixteen, a
milestone birthday that was just a few weeks away. October
twenty eighth, twenty twenty three, the carriage House East Apartments.
(01:40):
It was approximately four or fifteen in the morning when
Jania was last seen alive. Surveillance cameras captured her getting
into a car around four thirty AM. As the hours
passed and Jenia didn't return home, her mother, Demitria, knew
that something was wrong. By October thirtieth, two days after
(02:06):
Jania had vanished, her mother could no longer wait. She
contacted the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, or IMPD, to report
her daughter missing.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Jania had been gone for two.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Days without a word, no phone calls, no text messages,
no contact with friends. For her mother, who knew her
daughter's habits and personality, this silence was very frightening that
IMPD began their investigation immediately. On November one, twenty twenty three,
(02:48):
the worst fears of Jania's family became reality. At approximately noon,
police found Jania's body in a wooded area behind the
very the apartment complex where she lived, the carriage House
East Apartments. The fifteen year old had been shot to death.
(03:10):
The medical examiner would later determine she had suffered gunshot
wounds to her cheek and head.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
The discoveries sent.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Shockways through the apartment community and the city of Indianapolis.
A teenager was dead and her killer was still out there.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department launched a full investigation. Deputy
Chief Kendale Adams spoke to the media, calling Jenia's death
(03:41):
senseless and tragic and unconscionable and unacceptable.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
For her family, friends, and community.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Detectives began the work of piecing together Jania's final hours.
They reviewed surveillance footage from the apartment complex, looking for
any clues that might.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Lead them to her killer.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Their surveillance video became key to solving the case. Frame
by frame, investigators built a timeline of what happened that
morning when Jania initially vanished. The investigation revealed a disturbing truth.
Jania's killer wasn't a stranger who had randomly targeted her.
(04:28):
It wasn't a case of being in the wrong place
at the wrong time. Her killer was someone who worked
at the same apartment complex where Jania and her family
called home, someone who had access to the buildings, to
the apartments, and to the trust of the residence. On
(04:48):
November three, twenty twenty three, just two days after Jania's
body was discovered, authorities arrested a thirty four year old
man for his alleged role in her murder. The suspect
was Tevis Walker, a maintenance worker at the carriage House
East apartments who also lived there. He was the person
(05:13):
residents called when their plumbing needed fixing, when their appliances
broke down, or when they needed help with their homes.
He had been hired in June twenty twenty three, just
five months before Jania's murder. The apartment management company said
he had passed both state and national background checks before
(05:34):
being hired, but upon the investigation, it was revealed that
he had pending warrants in both Georgia and Alabama. Neighbors
also told a different story. They claimed Walker had actually
worked at the complex for about a month, despite being
(05:54):
employed there since June. The thought that the suspected killer
was a maintenance worker sent so much fear through all
of the residents in the community. If he could allegedly
murder a fifteen year old girl, what else might he
be capable of the sense of safety that the residents
(06:16):
had felt in their own homes had become severely fractured.
On November eighth, twenty twenty three, prosecutors formally charged Walker
with one count of murder in connection to Jenia Carr's death.
A judge ordered that he beheld without bond until his trial.
(06:38):
The evidence against Walker appeared to be strong. Police had
used surveillance video to create a minute by minute timeline
of the case. They had arrested him near eighty sixth
Street in Shadlin Avenue, not.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Far from the apartment complex.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
The legal process was beginning, but for Jania's family, no
amount of justice could bring her back. Jania Carr was
only fifteen years old when her life was cut short.
Her mother, Demitria Boston, not only lost her daughter, but
had to cope with the knowledge that the person accused
(07:19):
of killing Jenia was someone who had access to their
very homes, to their community, into their lives. The case
raises troubling questions about background checks, employee screenings, and the
safety measures in place to protect residents in rental communities.
In the aftermath, gene Bee Click Company, which is carriage
(07:43):
House East Management company, released a statement saying, in part,
the gene Bee Click Company was shocked and deeply saddened
by the fatal shooting of Jania Carr, a teenage resident
of carriage House East and Indiana. We mourned with her
family and friends in our entire carriage House East community
(08:06):
over this senseless tragedy. A carriage House East employee has
been arrested for this crime, and we are working closely
with IMPD to actively assist with the investigation.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
But is that good enough.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
A teenage girl was murdered inside her own apartment complex,
a place where she was supposed to feel safe, where
management was supposed to not employ the very people who
could hurt the residents. How does something like this happen?
What kind of background checks were done? Were their red flags?
(08:46):
Was there any way this could have been prevented? According
to the apartment complex, they reached out to the company
they used to do the background checks for further understanding
on how Walker's lawrence in two states went completely undetected.
(09:06):
As Tevis Walker's case moves through the legal system, Jania's
family continues to grieve the loss and fight for justice
in the courtroom. Walker faces up to sixty years in
prison if convicted. As we close out this episode, don't
forget to click the follow button to stay updated on
(09:27):
Jania's case and others like it. Be sure to subscribe
to Hunting for Answers on YouTube and follow us on
Instagram and.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
TikTok for more true crime updates.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
And if you are watching us on YouTube, let us
know your thoughts on this case down in the comments.
Thank you so much for joining us on another episode
until next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of
(10:02):
the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the
Black Effect Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Hunting for Answers is a production of the Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that shook Indianapolis, Indiana. In November twenty
twenty three, a fifteen year old girl who had just
(00:21):
celebrated homecoming and was weeks away from her sixteenth birthday
vanished from her apartment complex in the early morning hours.
When her body was discovered three days later, the community
learned that the person responsible for her death was someone
who had access to their homes and their trust. This
(00:44):
is the story of Jania Carr. Jania Carr was just
fifteen years old, with her whole life ahead of her.
She was living with her mother, Demitria Boston, at carriage
House East Apartments in Indianapolis. Dimitria described her daughter as
(01:07):
a firecracker and said she is a fighter, a girl
known for her bold spirit and tenacity.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Jenia had never truly run.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Away before, and if she ever ran, she always checked in.
She had recently attended her school's homecoming dance, and her
mother said Jenia was looking forward to turning sixteen, a
milestone birthday that was just a few weeks away. October
twenty eighth, twenty twenty three, the carriage House East Apartments.
(01:40):
It was approximately four or fifteen in the morning when
Jania was last seen alive. Surveillance cameras captured her getting
into a car around four thirty AM. As the hours
passed and Jenia didn't return home, her mother, Demitria, knew
that something was wrong. By October thirtieth, two days after
(02:06):
Jania had vanished, her mother could no longer wait. She
contacted the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, or IMPD, to report
her daughter missing.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Jania had been gone for two.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
Days without a word, no phone calls, no text messages,
no contact with friends. For her mother, who knew her
daughter's habits and personality, this silence was very frightening that
IMPD began their investigation immediately. On November one, twenty twenty three,
(02:48):
the worst fears of Jania's family became reality. At approximately noon,
police found Jania's body in a wooded area behind the
very the apartment complex where she lived, the carriage House
East Apartments. The fifteen year old had been shot to death.
(03:10):
The medical examiner would later determine she had suffered gunshot
wounds to her cheek and head.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
The discoveries sent.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Shockways through the apartment community and the city of Indianapolis.
A teenager was dead and her killer was still out there.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department launched a full investigation. Deputy
Chief Kendale Adams spoke to the media, calling Jenia's death
(03:41):
senseless and tragic and unconscionable and unacceptable.
Speaker 2 (03:46):
For her family, friends, and community.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Detectives began the work of piecing together Jania's final hours.
They reviewed surveillance footage from the apartment complex, looking for
any clues that might.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Lead them to her killer.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Their surveillance video became key to solving the case. Frame
by frame, investigators built a timeline of what happened that
morning when Jania initially vanished. The investigation revealed a disturbing truth.
Jania's killer wasn't a stranger who had randomly targeted her.
(04:28):
It wasn't a case of being in the wrong place
at the wrong time. Her killer was someone who worked
at the same apartment complex where Jania and her family
called home, someone who had access to the buildings, to
the apartments, and to the trust of the residence. On
(04:48):
November three, twenty twenty three, just two days after Jania's
body was discovered, authorities arrested a thirty four year old
man for his alleged role in her murder. The suspect
was Tevis Walker, a maintenance worker at the carriage House
East apartments who also lived there. He was the person
(05:13):
residents called when their plumbing needed fixing, when their appliances
broke down, or when they needed help with their homes.
He had been hired in June twenty twenty three, just
five months before Jania's murder. The apartment management company said
he had passed both state and national background checks before
(05:34):
being hired, but upon the investigation, it was revealed that
he had pending warrants in both Georgia and Alabama. Neighbors
also told a different story. They claimed Walker had actually
worked at the complex for about a month, despite being
(05:54):
employed there since June. The thought that the suspected killer
was a maintenance worker sent so much fear through all
of the residents in the community. If he could allegedly
murder a fifteen year old girl, what else might he
be capable of the sense of safety that the residents
(06:16):
had felt in their own homes had become severely fractured.
On November eighth, twenty twenty three, prosecutors formally charged Walker
with one count of murder in connection to Jenia Carr's death.
A judge ordered that he beheld without bond until his trial.
(06:38):
The evidence against Walker appeared to be strong. Police had
used surveillance video to create a minute by minute timeline
of the case. They had arrested him near eighty sixth
Street in Shadlin Avenue, not.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Far from the apartment complex.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
The legal process was beginning, but for Jania's family, no
amount of justice could bring her back. Jania Carr was
only fifteen years old when her life was cut short.
Her mother, Demitria Boston, not only lost her daughter, but
had to cope with the knowledge that the person accused
(07:19):
of killing Jenia was someone who had access to their
very homes, to their community, into their lives. The case
raises troubling questions about background checks, employee screenings, and the
safety measures in place to protect residents in rental communities.
In the aftermath, gene Bee Click Company, which is carriage
(07:43):
House East Management company, released a statement saying, in part,
the gene Bee Click Company was shocked and deeply saddened
by the fatal shooting of Jania Carr, a teenage resident
of carriage House East and Indiana. We mourned with her
family and friends in our entire carriage House East community
(08:06):
over this senseless tragedy. A carriage House East employee has
been arrested for this crime, and we are working closely
with IMPD to actively assist with the investigation.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
But is that good enough.
Speaker 1 (08:24):
A teenage girl was murdered inside her own apartment complex,
a place where she was supposed to feel safe, where
management was supposed to not employ the very people who
could hurt the residents. How does something like this happen?
What kind of background checks were done? Were their red flags?
(08:46):
Was there any way this could have been prevented? According
to the apartment complex, they reached out to the company
they used to do the background checks for further understanding
on how Walker's lawrence in two states went completely undetected.
(09:06):
As Tevis Walker's case moves through the legal system, Jania's
family continues to grieve the loss and fight for justice
in the courtroom. Walker faces up to sixty years in
prison if convicted. As we close out this episode, don't
forget to click the follow button to stay updated on
(09:27):
Jania's case and others like it. Be sure to subscribe
to Hunting for Answers on YouTube and follow us on
Instagram and.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
TikTok for more true crime updates.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
And if you are watching us on YouTube, let us
know your thoughts on this case down in the comments.
Thank you so much for joining us on another episode
until next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of
(10:02):
the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the
Black Effect Podcast Network, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Host
Hunter Gilmore
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