warning: Graphic content, readers’ discretion advised. This story contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some readers discretion advised.
When 13-year-old Kei’Mani Latigue didn’t show up for school, her grandmother knew something was wrong. What began as a missing child report would soon unravel into one of the most disturbing and heartbreaking cases to hit Toledo, Ohio in years.
it was monday morning , march 17th,2025, when dorothy latigue arrived home after an overnight shift.almost immediately , she sensed something wasn’t right.
her granddaughter, 13 year old kei’mani latigue ,whom she had legal custody of, was nowhere to be found.
normally kei’mani would have already left for school by the time dorothy returned but what made this different was that kei’ mani’s personal belongings were still inside the house.
her glasses ,he house keys and her cephone. her undercloths were folded near the couch, her pajamas crumpled on the dining room floor, and the stove, it had been left on.
the last confirmed sighting of kei’mani was the night before., sunday ,march 16th, at around 10 p.m. when she was with her regular biological father, darnell jones.
ke’mani’s father says he saw his daughter late sunday night after she called him afraid to be home alone.
dorothy called kei’mani’s school ,s pring elementary,to check in.that’s when he learned her granddaughter hadn’t shown up for class.
growing increasingly anxious, she continuned to calling family and friends , hoping someone had seen or heard from her. but no one had, and ke’mani’s phone went straight to voicemail.
which each passing hour,dorothy’s concern deepened. eventually,she contacted the police.
toledo police arrived quickly . they conducted an initial search of the home and a formal investigation was launched.
by friday , march 21 st , with no leads no sign of kei’ mani
the community mobilized. voluneers, family members,and complete strangers joined toghether in a city wide search efforts.
3 days later , the search ended in tragedy.
on march 24th, investigators found kei’mani’s body inside a dilapidated abandoned house on miami street in east toledo .she had suffered severe injuries ,including large wounds to her neck and the loss of both hands.
ledd than 24 hours later ,the lucas county coroner released the official autopsy report,ruling her death a homicide caused by multiple insized wounds to the neck.
news of the discovery sent shock waves thoughout the community.for a week ,people had held up hope.now that hope turned to heartbeak.
back at spring elementary, grief counselors were brought in.teachers struggled to find the words. classmate created makeshift memorial outside the school.
kei’mani was just days away from celebrating her 14th birthday.
a spokeperson for toledo public schools said she had recently been recognized at the school’s honor role assembly and was scheduled to receive a kindness award that same week .
kei mani will be remembered as being very personable and someone who got along well with others, the district said in statement.
but the grief quickly turned outrage….
beneath the mourning was a pressing question. could this have been prevented? detectives quickly turned their attention to Darnell jones, the last known person to see kei’mani alive.
during questioning,jones allegedely gave conflicting statements about his whereabouts and movements that night she disappeared.
then, he made an odd request.jones called his girlfriend and asked her to disable the home security cameras.she refused. according to her statement, she was in the bedroom when a relative observed jones removing items from his SUV.
he brought them into the house and tucked them beneath the bsement stairs.
concerned ,the girlfriend contacted the police.officers secured a search warramt amd retrieved the items into evidence.
soon after, jones realixed the police had entered the home and that the evidence was gone. that’s when he fled , never to be seen again by the girlfriend.
toledo police issued a bolo for darnell jones.the alert was sent to agencies across the state.
by the next morning ,march 25th , at around 10 a.m.,a tactical unit from the columbus police departement located jones near the intersection of second and denison.
according to police,jones pulled a gun during the encounter and was shot by officers.he was hospitalized in critical condition, but later stabilized.
court records alleged that he admitted to dragging kei’mani to the abandoned house where he inflicted the fatal injuries.after his arrest, jones was booked into franklin county jail and held without bond.
due to his injuries from his arrest , he was housed in the jail’s medical ward.
on april 18th, he appeared in Lucas county court for the first time.
a judge set his total bond at $ 4 million ,2 million for murder, and a million each for abduction and felonious assault.but just when it seemed the case couldn’t get any darker ,another unexpted development.
on the morning of april 19th, 2025 , less a month after kei’mani’s body was found,the abandoned house on miami street went up in flames.
the building had already been marked as code red structur due to its dangerous condition. and by the time fire crews arrived , it was fully engulfed in flames.
because of the home’s instability and its role in an active homicide investigation,firefighters made the decision to fight the blaze from the outside only,avoiding entry.
investigators later classifiied the fire as suspicious and it’s now been as a possible arson.
in response to public concern,toledo officials quickly reassured the community that all critical evidence had already been collected and secured well before the fire broke out.
within hours, demolition crews were on site, and by the late morning, the structure had been completely leveled.the city moved fast,citing both public safety and community trauma as key reasons for the emergency teardown.
and yet, something important ws spared.before the fire, community members had created a growing memorial at the site. flowers, candles, handwritten notes, and stuffed animals lining the sidewalk in kei’mani’s honor.
thankfully, those items had been carefully removed ahead of time.they were preserved and relocated, a small act of care amid so much destruction.
still ,for many, watching the house burn felt symbolic,like the final erasure of a scene too painful to leave standing.
less than 2 weeks after the fire,on april 30th, darnell jones appeared in court again, this time for his formal arraignment. thanks to courtroom cameras ,the public got their first direct look at jones since his arrest.
seated before the judge, he entered a plea to the charges laid out against him tied to the death of his 13 year old daughter.
the hearing was procedural,but it carried weight. for many watching ,it was a jarring moment. a man who was supposed to be a protective father now standing accused of one of the most brutal crimes in recent memory.
darnell jones sat before the judge, quietly pleading not guilty to a string of violent charges.but what played out in that courtroom was only part of the story.
because as the legal process moved forward, so did the investigation into jones himself.
and what surfaced was a pattern, a long disturbing history of criminal behavior with minimal consequences.
court recordsd show that jones had been in and out of the criminal justice systems for years.
with arrests dating back to 2011 and only serving relatively short periods of jail time.
we’re talking about convictions for domestic assault ,resisting arrest,attempted arson,and weapons violations.
there wwere also report of substance abuse,consistent repeated red flags that painted a picture of a man spiraling long before kei’mani dissapeared.
and yet, despite all of it, he somehow still had access to his daughter.that reality raised serious questions who knew what and when.
soon ,the focus turned to the county children’services’ agency which came under intense scrutiny. according to a statement released by the agency authorized by county prosecutors, the lucas county children’s services had investigated multiple prior reports regarding kei’mani’s care.
the agency received three separate complaints , one in december 2023 and two more in march 2024, all involving concerns about physical discipline in the home.
in each case,investigators interviewed kei’mani privately. each time she told them she felt safe.
based on those interviews ,the agency concluded there was no legal basis to remove her from the home.
notably, the agency also stated they had received no reports specifically naming darnell jones and were not even aware of his role or presence in kei’mani’s life during the time of their investigations.
even more troubling ,the agency admitted that even if they had known about jones,it might not have changed their assessment or the outcome of the case.
the agency has said it is willing to release further information to adress public concern,but only once prosecutors confirm it won’t jeopardize the integrity of the criminal case.
still , many in the community remain unconvinced. public frustration has grown.advocay groups hg have called for an independent review of the children’s services protocols and accountability standards.
and kei’mani’s former teacher even went public,saying she believes the tragedy was preventable.
a crowd gathered at the abandoned house on miami and wilmont,chanting the name of a girl who will never be forgotten.13 year old kei’mani latigue.
the teacher said she and other staff members called children’ s services to report concerning things kei’mani had sad.
she came to school with visible injuries and told things happening in her household.
as of the date of this uploead ,darnell jones remains in custody at the lucas county jail,
held on a $ 4 million bond.he has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges
including aggravated murder , kidnapping, and a series of felonies tied to the abuse and death of his 13 year old daughter.
prosecutors have confirmed they intend to pursue the death penalty. a tentative trial date is set for april 2026 but with more than 200 pieces of evidence , including surveillance footage body came video, digital records, and witness statements, that timeline could still change.
what’s clear is that this is one of the most complex , high -profile, and emotionally charged cases northwest ohio has seen in years .
and throug it all,it’s easy to lose sight of who the story is really about.
kei’mani latigue was a bright kind -hearted seventh grader who was just days away from her 14th birthday. she made the honor role. she was set to receive a kindness award.
her teachers remembered her smile.her classmates remember her laughter.
she was a child who deserved to be safe ,to be protected, and to grow up surrounded by love, not tragedy.her name was kei’mani, and she mattered.