Episode 2: The Murders of Tioni Theus & Britney Hardwick

Our first story centers around 16-year-old Tioni Theus, whose life was tragically cut short when she was found murdered along the 110 Freeway in Los Angeles, CA on January 8th, 2022. Despite being a vibrant young girl, her case has seen little progress over the past three years and has remained unsolved with no known leads.

If you have any information that could help solve Tioni Theus's case, contact the California Highway Patrol at [phone].

Our second story takes us to a different corner of the country, Cleveland, Ohio. Britney Hardwick was found by police on December 12th, 2020, at approximately 2:45am. She was shot and killed in a car parked in front of her boyfriend’s home on the 1400th block of East 176th Street in Cleveland. Her case remains unsolved, and the police have yet to make any arrests.

As for Britney Hardwick’s memory, I urge anyone with information about her case to please step forward. Contact the Cleveland police homicide unit at (216)-623-5464.

Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/black-women-homicides-clearance-rates-murders

Sources:

Cleveland Remembrance Facebook page

Lost Crimes Library Podcast

California Highway Patrol

CDC

https://clevelandurbannews.com

https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/cleveland-mothers-unsolved-murder-case

https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/26/us/los-angeles-teen-death

https://www.foxla.com/news/tioni-theus

Clevelandnews.com

Disclaimer:

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hi everyone. This is your host Raven Siyad and welcome back to Forgotten

(00:03):
Echoes,
a podcast where we dive into the mysterious and unexplained cases of black
women that often get lost in time. Today,
I have two cases for you.
Two women who both lost their lives in horrific ways with little to no updates
in either of their cases. According to the CDC, quote,
2077 black women and girls were killed in 2021,

(00:27):
a 51% increase over 2019,
the largest jump of any racial or gender group during that period.
Overall, the number of killings nationwide increased to 34%. Quote,
with that quote in mind,
our first story centers around 16 year old Tioni Theus,

(00:48):
whose life was tragically cut short when she was found murdered along the 110
freeway in Los Angeles, California on January 8th,
2022. Despite being a vibrant young girl,
her case has seen little progress over the past three years and has remained
unsolved with no known leads.
This is the first story of episode two, the murder of Tioni Theus.

(01:37):
Sources for today's episode include ABC seven,
the wall street journal, CBS, Los Angeles, CNN,
K ABC, the California highway patrol,
the Los Angeles County district attorney's office page, Fox 11,
LA Cleveland news.com,

(01:58):
Cleveland remembrance Facebook page news five, Cleveland,
Cleveland 19 news and the lost crimes library podcasts. Now,
let's get into our first story of today's episode.
Tioni Theus was found shot to death on the side of the 110 freeway on January
8th, 2022.

(02:19):
Her body was found on the Manchester Avenue on ramp near South Figueroa
street, a life full of promise extinguished in an act of senseless
violence.
Tioni Theus lived in Compton, California,
a city within Los Angeles County and she attended Centennial high school.

(02:39):
She was a smart student that was full of life.
She loved to laugh and her hobbies included dancing and playing golf.
Her family and friends describe her as joyful, kind, and charismatic.
Tione lived a seemingly normal life until it took a sharp turn for the worst.
At just 13 years old,

(02:59):
she witnessed a traumatic hit and run accident that left her mother severely
injured in a long term rehab facility.
This left Tione deeply traumatized and after the event,
she never was quite the same. Looking at different family statements,
it seems that the sweet preteen retreated inward after this event and became

(03:21):
distant from friends and family. Understandably so.
I can't begin to imagine how she was feeling at this time,
but it's safe to say after an accident this traumatic at such a young age,
you're going to change. Fast forward three years on the night of January 7th,
2022, Tioni told a family member she was going to meet a friend unknown to the

(03:45):
family to attend a party. Nothing out of the normal,
but no one could have imagined this would be the last time anyone would see her
alive. The next morning,
her lifeless body was discovered on the side of the freeway with a gunshot wound
to her neck.
Her father, Darian Jackson,

(04:06):
a prominent shop owner in Inglewood,
California spoke with Fox 11 LA recalling the last time he spoke to Tione.
Quote, she just left. I picked her up and gave her a kiss and a hug.
I didn't know it'd be the last kiss. I feel like something was wrong that day.
I begged her to stay. I said, just stay with me. Quote,

(04:31):
former LA County district attorney,
George Gascon joined other elected officials to give an update on the murder
shortly after Tioni's body was found. Gascon stated, quote,
this young girl may have been the victim of human trafficking, quote,
and noted that the investigation into her death was ongoing.

(04:53):
But as of now, no suspect has been identified and no arrests have been made.
I have so many questions here.
Who was the people or person she was going with that night and what gave former
DA Gascon the idea she may have been trafficked.
I wasn't able to find any reports to really support evidence of that claim,

(05:18):
but I'm very curious as to why that was said.
Another question is, was her phone found on her? Were her friends interviewed?
She was literally dumped like garbage on the street and I find it extremely
unsettling that there isn't more uproar from authorities on this case.
The case has drawn attention not only for its overall brutality,

(05:40):
but also the glaring disparities in mainstream media coverage or frankly,
media coverage at all, as well as the lack of public interests.
Activists have called out the differences in response compared to other high
profile cases in the LA area,
urging the community and officials to remember Tioni and seek justice with the

(06:02):
same urgency. So for context here,
around this time former UCLA grad student Brianna Kupfer
was tragically murdered in Hancock Park while working at a furniture store.
And while both girls were murdered around the same time,
the media coverage was disproportionate to say the least.
I did a quick Google search and the amount not only of media coverage,

(06:26):
but local and independent blogs, interviews,
as well as the reward money for information was astounding.
We've seen that people of color,
specifically black women often don't get the same media coverage as other racial
groups for a multitude of reasons.
Rather it's their socioeconomic background, their profession,

(06:47):
geographical location, financial status and means,
or just because their skin color won't be seen as quote newsworthy,
quote, these cases aren't being shown enough.
They aren't being talked about enough and our women and girls are going to be
missing at an alarming rate.
I'd also like to clarify that I believe all people,

(07:08):
regardless of ethnic background or gender,
should receive the same amount of airtime in regards to any criminal case.
But when there is a pattern of marginalized communities,
such as black women not being shown and their cases,
quite frankly, being ignored and forgotten,
it's our job as the people to challenge this notion and advocate for what is

(07:29):
clearly an issue.
CHP officer Roberto Gomez doubled down that Tione's case is top priority and
is still being investigated.
With no surveillance cameras,
CHP investigators are relying on the public for answers.
Three years later,
Tioni's family continues to fight for justice,
rallying for more state and federal resources to help find answers about what

(07:54):
happened to their sweet daughter.
Friend and niece that chilly January night in 2022.
They are also advocating for these resources to help solve other cold cases
in the South Los Angeles area.
A reward amount totaling of $110,000,
a combination of state, county and city funds,

(08:17):
has been offered for information leading to the arrest and
conviction of the suspect.
Now here's the call to action.
If you have any information that could help solve Tioni Theus's case,
please, please contact the California Highway Patrol at
area code 323-644-9557.

(08:41):
You can do so anonymously.
It's important to remember how effective community can be when we ask for
one another.
Someone out there knows something.
Let's give Tioni Theus's family and friends the closure they so desperately
deserve.
Let's ensure her story is not forgotten.

(09:04):
As we conclude our discussion on the tragic case of Tione Fias,
it's essential to remember her story is just but one of countless narratives
that deserve our attention and empathy.
Now let's shift our focus to another heartbreaking case that highlights the
ongoing struggles faced by families of victims of unsolved murders.

(09:26):
This next story takes us to a different corner of the country,
Cleveland, Ohio, where the search for justice continues for another life lost
too soon.
Britany Hardwick.
I want to start this story off with an eye-opening quote from the
2023 Wall Street Journal article titled, quote,

(09:47):
murders of Black women rose during the pandemic.
So did their unsolved cases, quote,
by Zusha Ellinson and Dan Frosch.
Britany Hardwick's case was featured in this article,
and it will be linked in the show notes, quote,
when homicides surged across America during the pandemic,

(10:09):
the murders of Black women and girls rose more dramatically than other
groups.
At the same time,
a proportion of those killings solved by police fell faster than other
demographics in nearly two dozen cities.
Meanwhile,
the number of unsolved homicides of Black women and girls rose by 89% in
2020 and 2021 compared with 2018 and 2019.

(10:34):
According to a survey of 21 US cities by the Wall Street Journal,
quote,
here is our final story of today's episode.
The murder of Britany Hardwick.
On December 12th, 2020, at approximately 2 45 a.m.,
22 year old Britany Hardwick was found by police shot and killed in her

(10:56):
car,
parked in front of her boyfriend's car and was shot and killed in the
car, parked in front of her boyfriend's home on the 14th hundredth block of
East 176th Street in Cleveland, Ohio.
Her case remains unsolved and the police have yet to make any arrest.
Britany S Dawkins Hardwick was born on September 12th,

(11:19):
1998 in Cleveland, Ohio,
to her mother,
Sandra Dawkins.
She was the baby of her siblings and was adored by her entire family.
She was extremely close to her sisters and to her mother.
She herself was also a mother to a beautiful little girl named Justice.

(11:40):
She was a talented hair and nail stylist at around 1 a.m.
on December 12th, 2020.
Sandra,
Britany's mother was awakened by three gunshots sounds and after complete
silence with a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach,
she swiftly went to call her youngest daughter,

(12:01):
Brittany,
as she had told her the night before she'd be out with her friends.
With no answer,
Sandra went back to sleep.
Little did she know she'd be awakened to a parent's worst nightmare.
The following morning,
Cleveland officers knocked on Dawkins door and delivered the grim news.
Britany had been shot and was pronounced dead earlier that morning.

(12:25):
Sandra has been vocal about the continuous battle of coping with her
daughter's murder.
A fight that has stretched over four years with no resolution.
In a heartfelt interview with the Wall Street Journal in 2023,
Sandra Dawkins stated,
quote,
For these two years,
I've been looking for her and thinking about her trying to say things so I

(12:48):
could hear her voice.
And today hit me.
My baby hasn't come home and she's not coming home.
Quote.
From the beginning,
Britany's case has had little traction to resolution from mishandling of the
Cleveland police department and a lack of witnesses or people coming forward
in general with any information.

(13:10):
So much is left unknown.
Britany's mother noted,
quote,
They didn't fingerprint the car at all.
It's so frustrating because the detectives could have done more.
Quote.
Although being found in front of her boyfriend's home,
he has not been publicly named a suspect.
And shortly after the murder,
him and his family left the neighborhood.

(13:33):
The reason for leaving is unknown.
She continued by articulating the frustration that many feel.
Quote.
They killed my Britany for no reason and nobody's being held accountable.
There's a murderer running around here.
Quote.
It is a sentiment echoed by those close to the case in the community at large.

(13:55):
Now I was really shocked at the lack of information when researching this case.
I couldn't find Britany's autopsy report and I haven't found any reports
identifying the make or model of the weapon used to kill her.
I have so many questions.
Who is her boyfriend and was he ever considered a suspect at all?
Especially considering she was found dead in a car in front of his home.

(14:20):
Did any witnesses ever come forward?
Who was she last seen with?
Why wasn't the car searched for fingerprints at the crime scene or searched in general?
After the 2023 Wall Street Journal article went live,
I've seen reports a person of interest was being investigated at a moment,
but there wasn't enough evidence to move forward and their name was never announced.

(14:44):
So many questions and so little answers.
As the case remains open, Brittany's sister, Ronika,
is hopeful they will find out more information in the future.
In an interview, she issued a plea for information.
Quote.
It's just sad that they're just walking around and that there are people okay with that.

(15:06):
That's the saddest part.
If it was your sister, daughter, or mother, you would want to know.
But it's not snitching if you're helping somebody.
It's not to help yourself.
It's to help somebody.
It's to help a family have closure.
Quote.
It's a powerful call for community involvement and accountability.

(15:27):
Britany's story is not just about her tragic end.
It's also about the precious life she left behind.
Her daughter, Justice, was just three years old when her mother was taken from her.
Sandra reveals, quote, I think Britany comes to see Justice all the time.
She tells me that her mother visits her in her dreams.

(15:49):
Quote.
In preserving Britany's memory, Sandra has kept her belongings,
old school assignments, pictures, even the pants Brittany called her ugly pants.
Every item is a reminder of the life that was vibrant and full of so many promises.
Sandra and the rest of Brittany's family still advocate for Justice till this day.

(16:12):
Britany's tragic death is a part of a larger epidemic,
and Cleveland itself has not escaped this grim reality.
Many activists have been advocating tirelessly for accountability and systemic changes
to address this growing crisis of violence against Black women.
And the question still remains.

(16:34):
What is being done to solve this case?
What happened to Britany Hardwick?
Now here's the call to action.
As we honor Britany Hardwick's memory,
I urge anyone with information about her case to please step forward.
Contact the Cleveland Police Homicide Unit at area code 216-623-5464.

(16:57):
Every detail matters and could be the missing link to push this case closer to resolution.
Thank you for tuning into episode 2 of Forgotten Echoes.
Please do me a favor and show your support by following the podcast
and liking and sharing this episode.
I'm Raven Siyad, and I'll see you next week with another case that needs to be remembered.

(17:19):
Stay vigilant, stay aware, and keep the echoes of the forgotten alive.
I'll see you soon.