March 25, 2025
As a mother who has lost her child to murder, I’m extremely sensitive when I hear about other murder cases, and this case has left me speechless.
And heartbroken.
Thirteen-year-old Kei’Mani Latigue was last seen the night of March 16th at her home in Toledo, Ohio. Her grandmother, Dorothy Latigue, returned home from work the morning of March 17 and found the door unlocked. She said the house was in disarray, and Kei’Mani was missing. She continued to search and reported her missing just before noon on March 18, 2024, when she didn’t show up for school.
Throughout the week, family and friends handed out flyers to neighbors and asked the community for help locating Kei’Mani. They even organized a search party for her on March 21st. She still wasn’t located.
Where was Kei’Mani?
The last person to see Kei’Mani alive was her father, Darnell Jones. Information from police indicates Jones gave inconsistent statements about her location and what he did with her. As a result, an arrest warrant was issued for Jones on March 23.
Jones told 13 Action News, “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.”
On March 24th, investigators found Kei’Mani Latigue’s body on the second floor of an abandoned, burned house on Miami Street in Toledo, Ohio. I watched the videos of this happening live on Facebook and cried almost as much as I did when I found out about the murder of my son.
An autopsy on March 25 determined Kei’Mani’ died of multiple “incised wounds of the neck,” according to the Lucas County Coroner’s Office.
Jones escaped to Columbus, Ohio, but on March 25th, the police located him, and he was shot in a confrontation. Jones survived and is in a local hospital in stable condition.
He survived, but his beautiful daughter is dead.
All I can do is shake my head.
Why did this happen?
How could a father kill his child?
Children are a gift and a blessing from God.
We, as parents, are responsible for raising our children with love. We must provide them with a safe environment to grow and flourish to become all that God intended them to be. Above all, children should always feel protected from hurt, harm, and danger when with their parents.
Jones failed Kei’Mani terribly.
Rest in eternal peace, sweet Kei’Mani.
I send love and prayers of comfort to her family.
#JusticeForKei’Mani