Did Darnell Jones, Toledo, Ohio dad murder his own daughter, Keimani Latigue? Missing 13 year old teen girl’s body found in abandoned house as arrest warrant for dad is now issued.
Ohio authorities have recovered the body of a missing 13 year old Toledo girl on Monday, just hours after the teen’s father was charged with abduction in her disappearance. A manhunt for the wanted man has since been launched.
A recovered body found on the second floor of a dilapidated abandoned house in Toledo was confirmed to be that of Keimani Latigue who went missing last week, the Lucas County Coroner’s Office confirmed according to WTOL.
An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday to determine how the girl died. Authorities declined to say if they suspected homicide or foul play.
Inconsistent statements made by Toledo dad
Open dockets show that there is now an open warrant for the arrest of Keimani’s dad, Darnell Jones, 33, WTOL reported. The man’s whereabouts were not immediately known.
The missing girl’s ‘distressed’ mother, Tiara Kasten who lives in Cleveland speaking to 13 Action News claimed there was no reason her daughter would ever be in the area of the abandoned home. She said Keimani would only ever go to school, play basketball and go home. She recounted the last time she talked to her daughter.
‘I seen her on the 15th. Her dad brought her down to my house. Apparently my mother gave him permission and honestly it was just loving on my kid. We play video games,’ Kasten told the outlet.
A criminal affidavit alleges Keimani’s father being the last person with the 13 year old before she went missing. The affidavit stated Jones allegedly giving inconsistent statements about his activity with the victim and her whereabouts. It said phone and surveillance video were also factors in filing charges against the parent.
The girl’s father told 13 Action News last week he saw Keimani late at night on March 16, after she called to say she was afraid to be home alone.
‘I came over here because she said that it seemed like somebody was trying to break into the house. Me and my cousin sat over here for an hour and we left around 12:30-ish,’ Jones allegedly told the outlet.
Does missing Toledo, Ohio teen girl’s dad now face additional charges?
Keimani who lived with her grandmother, was reported missing on March 18, when Dorothy Latigue returned to the home they shared on the evening of March 17th only to find the girl amiss and the home in disarray. The grandmother said she found the stove on and that she could smell gas, and that Keimani’s keys and glasses were at the house — while stating that Keimani can not see without them.
‘Other than her and I, it’s just two dogs in the house. So, who cut it on? So that was kind of suspicious. Her glasses in her underclothes were by the couch in the front. Her pajamas were on the dining room floor,’ Dorothy Latigue said.
Surveillance video showed Keimani’s father going to the guardian’s home (Keimani’s grandmother) and leaving the home with the 13 year old girl without consent, making Darnell Jones the last person to have seen the 13 year old alive.
It remained unclear if additional charges against the father would now be issued.
