Grieving mother searching for answers two weeks after ASU honor student was killed
The mother of an Alabama State University student who was killed on July 14 wants answers as she prepares to bury her daughter on Saturday. On July 14, 21 year old Tiana Dye was found fatally stabbed to death in a house she lived in with other ASU students.
Her mother Danielle Luckett says, “Tiana was always smiling. She could sense if someone was having a bad day or feeling down, and she would just come and hug you, sit next to you and put her head on your shoulder.”
Luckett says Tiana was studying to be a dermatologist, and she was on the Dean’s List. She was involved in the honor society and the NAACP. Tiana also worked at Target, and Thursday night her co-workers and friends held a memorial for her there. They talked about her beautiful smile, how engaging she was, and how much she was loved. They then released pink and white balloons in her honor. Her mother says she is frustrated that Tiana’s roommate – who she believes killed Tiana – has not been arrested or charged in the case and is still free. She also says Tiana and her other roommates told their landlord that this older roommate was terrorizing them.
Danielle Luckett says, “One instance, she hit my daughter in the face with a gun, and I’m not understanding why she was still able to stay after that. And I’ve seen the messages. I’ve seen all the messages about the house, the whole house trying to let him know they felt unsafe with this young lady there. The week before the incident took place, one of the roommates and her partner witnessed the young lady walking around the home with a knife, acting very strangely, talking very nastily to them, not speaking if spoken to. There is ring camera footage that shows my daughter walking in and out of the house with her cleaning gloves on, and just like home attire, with the music playing. And she saw me do that for many years growing up, playing music while cleaning. And after the second time, you see her come out and empty the trash, not long later, you see the young lady coming out of the home with a phone in her hand and place the knife down on the porch.” Tiana’s funeral will be held in Newnan, Georgia on Saturday. A GoFundMe has been set up for funeral expenses.
MPD says this is an ongoing death investigation, and the findings will be presented to a grand jury. The grand jury will decide whether anyone will be charged with Tiana’s death. In Montgomery County, grand juries meet every month. Anyone who may have information about this case is asked to call CrimeStoppers at (334) 215-STOP.
