Teen Found Dead On The Side Of The Freeway Possibly A Sex Trafficking Victim, LA County DA Says

A 16-year-old girl was found murdered along the freeway on January 8, and her family says the case is not receiving the attention it deserves.

Tioni Theus takes a selfie in the car wearing a red shirt, denim jacket, gold necklace in the daytimr

Tioni Theus

Photo by: Screenshot via FOX 11 Los Angeles

Screenshot via FOX 11 Los Angeles

Tioni Theus

Darien Jackson didn’t know it was the last time he’d see his teenage daughter, Tioni Theus, when she left his Compton, California, workplace on Friday, January 7, 2022.

Jackson told CBS Los Angeles that his daughter was upset and seemed depressed before she left with a friend to go to a party that evening. Less than 24 hours later, a California Highway Patrol officer found the teen’s body along the I-110 on-ramp at Manchester Avenue in South LA. Authorities revealed she’d been shot twice in the neck.

Theus’s cousin told the Los Angeles Times that the teen began acting out after her mother was left disabled after a horrific car accident in 2019. With her primary caregiver permanently living in a rehabilitation facility, the teen bounced between relatives and used the inconsistency to mask her activities.

Theus’s cousin also said a man in his 20s contacted Theus via Instagram and eventually forced her into sex work and shoplifting. The LA County District Attorney has revealed that Theus was likely a victim of human trafficking.

Finding a Killer

Theus’s family is desperate for information. There have been few updates from the police since Theus was killed, yet another murdered young woman saw her case solved within days.

On January 13, five days after Theus’s body was discovered along the freeway, UCLA student Brianna Kupfer was found stabbed to death in a furniture store in the affluent Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. By January 18, LAPD had identified a suspect and there was a $250,000 reward to find him. The alleged murderer, Shawn Laval Smith, was arrested on January 19 and charged with Kupfer’s murder on January 21.

Meanwhile, Theus’s family and community activists have told various news outlets that they believe race plays a factor in the attention and resources the cases have received. Theus was a Black teen from Compton. Kupfer was a white woman from Pacific Palisades.

"I'm sorry for her [Kupfer’s] loss. She was killed. They got the killer, a reward, everything fast," Tioni's cousin Senia Theus told ABC 7. "We want justice. I don't care about no money, nothing...Whatever it takes to get this person off of the streets and to get justice for Tioni is what we want."

Raising the Reward

On January 22, Theus’s family held a vigil asking officials to offer a reward for information leading to an arrest in her case, and a $10,000 award was finally announced on January 26.

According to ABC 7, two LA City Council members are asking for another $50,000 in reward money, and a nonprofit, Operation Hope, is pledging an additional $5000 to the pot.

On January 26, California Governor Gavin Newsom pledged an additional $50,000 in reward money from the state’s coffers. If the city council approves its $50,000 pledge, the total reward amount would stand at $115,000, which is less than half of the reward offered in the Kupfer case.

Police have not offered any motives or identified any suspects in the Theus case.

Anybody with information about Tioni Theus’s death is asked to call the California Highway Patrol at 323-644-9557.

If you or someone you know is in danger due to human trafficking you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Anti-Trafficking Hotline Advocates are available 24/7 to take reports of potential human trafficking. You can also text the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 233733 or chat with the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Next Up

Who Killed Maria Hsiao? Art Student Celebrating Her 21st Birthday Shot Outside Nightclub

“Even someone with second or third-hand information about what happened may hold the missing piece of the puzzle,” Palo Alto police say.

Quadruple Homicide In Texas Yogurt Shop Remains Unsolved After Over 30 Years

Who brutally murdered teenagers Eliza Thomas, Jennifer Harbison, Sarah Harbison, and Amy Ayers in 1991?

Mystery Remains Decades After Hawaii Teen Lisa Au Was Found Dead In 1982

The 19-year-old was an ‘ideal young lady’ and daughter who ‘you’d never think this would happen to,’ a former investigator says.

5 Things To Know About The Murder Of Grammy Award Winner Nipsey Hussle

Nipsey Hussle was allegedly murdered outside of his clothing store, in south LA, by Eric Holder.

80-Year-Old Woman Charged In 1985 Cold Case Murder Of Romantic Rival

A love-triangle resulted in the tragic murder of Yvonne Menke nearly four decades ago. The alleged killer, now 80, has finally been arrested for shooting her three times in her head and neck.

Did A Social Media Post Lead To The Robbery And Killing Of Rapper PnB Rock?

The Philadelphia native rapper was shot at Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles, California on Sept. 12, 2022.

‘Lady In The Fridge’ Identified After Nearly Three Decades, Killer Still At Large

The murdered body of a woman was found in a fridge in a small California community nearly three decades ago, and she was finally identified as Amanda Lynn Schumann Deza. Now the search for her killer continues.

Maryland Fugitive Goes On The Run After Allegedly Killing Girlfriend And Shooting Friend

William Strand is wanted for murder and attempted murder out of Maryland and has ties to the West Coast, specifically Washington state. If you have any information on where Strand could be hiding, please call or text the IN PURSUIT hotline: 833-378-7783 (3-PURSUE).

Murdered Man Found On Tennessee Trail Identified Nearly Four Decades Later

37 years after the skeletal remains of a murdered man were found by hunters, he has finally been identified as Jerry Harrison. The mystery surrounding his death remains.

Can You Help Identify ‘Baby Jane Doe’ Who Was Found In Georgia In December 1988?

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward. According to published reports, investigators believe the child was dead at least two to three months before she was found. If you know anything about this case, please consider calling 800-597-8477.