It's still raining outside. It's been raining all day. I can't help but think about you. When you didn't come home the night of February 20th, 2009, we panicked. There's no way you could have ran off on your own because you had laundry sorted out to do the next morning before you had to head to work. You loved your kids to death and we know you'd never leave without them. You were supposed to come back ... who would've known that night would be the last time any of us would ever see you again? For the next 7 days, hell broke loose. Your "best friend" couldn't and wouldn't give us the truth about what happened to you. It is obvious you didn't harm yourself. I've known you most of my life, I know what the media says is a lie... I witnessed that horrid week through the eyes of a naive 14 year old.
On February 20th, 2009, my cousin Tiffany attended a party at a banquet hall with her "best friend." Apparently, Tiffany was so intoxicated that she went to her truck and passed out with her "best friend." Her "best friend" has too many stories of that night. First, she told us she left Tiff in the truck and went to go watch a fight and when she came back Tiff was gone so she called herself a ride and left. Next, she told the police they both passed out in the truck and when she awaken, Tiffany was gone. Last, she told us that she left Tiffany in the car and got herself a ride after Tiff accepted a drink from a stranger yet her best friend didnt. There were too many facts that proved the "best friend" was indeed, LYING. She was somehow involved, but I'm positive her conscience will eat her alive in the time being. Shes the only one who knows what happened that night, scrub. Tiffany had ALWAYS been good at knowing her drinking limit and handling her liquor. All that needs to be said is, Tiffany's purse was found in the men's restroom with her money gone, she was missing hair, her nails were broke, and the "best friend" had scars and immediately moved down South instead of calling my aunt to tell her she dunno where Tiff was.
We were worried. We were scared. No one deserves the stress that was placed upon my aunt and Tiff's family. I remember every detail of that week.
02/20 - My Aunt called and told my mom how Tiff didn't come home that night. They were worried and my aunt knew in her heart something was wrong.
02/21- Tiffany was reported missing but the police told my aunt, Tiff was NOT missing because she is an adult and was not missing for more than 24 hours. Still no word from Tiff.
02/22 - The report was filed again but not processed because the police said she was an adult and there was nothing that they could do. Still no word from Tiff nor was she answering her phone.
02/23 - I was stressed out at this point. Everyone had already cried but I hadn't. I was always good with emotions. I was great at crying when I needed to, but I never dealt with death like this before. I was always small when things happened so this took a toll on me. That night, a few of the people who lived in my building and cared about Tiffany gathered at my house to brainstorm ideas of how to get shit done. We had heard so many possibilities like, that night some girls were drugged and taken from that party to be pushed into sex slavery. That immediately scared the shit out of me. Luckily, it wasn't true. I remember breaking down crying and shaking in the hallway of my apartment building while they were discussing where she could be at. After brainstorming, my two neighbors went to the news station up the street and demanded they'd air Tiffany's story in case someone had seen her. The story was aired THAT night after many threats by a pregnant woman lol.
2/24 - Every news station had the story by now, but I didn't feel like it was enough. Tiff's daughter had been outside playing when she randomly broke down crying and screaming she wanted her mom. We took that as a sign that Tiff wasn't okay. It was too weird. At school, I wasn't functioning well. We had had half a day classes and I remember asking my Algebra teacher, Mr. Shawver, if I could sit in the hallway because I felt like I needed to cry. I sat outside the classroom, crying my heart out. I never felt so weak and powerless. I sat in the hallway during my next class also.
2/25 - My aunt told my mom she dreamed that Tiff was dead, face down in water. Sorta drowning. My mom reassured her everything would be okay. Little did we know, everything wasn't My aunt also had the lead that the guy who picked Tiff's "best friend" up, had something to do with the disappearance. We found out he had been involved in human trafficking and sold drugs. Police couldn't prove it, they let him go. This day, I started a MySpace account to help speed things up and get the word out there that Tiffany was missing. I tried to use the account to get people aware of the situation. I'd say it worked but not as much as I had hoped. I stayed home from school and worked on this account all day.
2/26 - Boy oh boy. I stayed home from school again. To cry and listen to sad songs and pray for her to come home safe. I was weak. I had no kind of hope for the future. I was missing my cousin like hell. My aunt had planned a search party for that Saturday. The 28th. We didnt make it to that day..
2/27 - the dreaded day. I went to school because I felt a bit better, a lot hopeful, and enthusiatic that we would find Tiffany. I was quiet but I was happy. I just couldnt wait for Saturday. I had made some posters and couldnt wait to be reunited with Tiffany. I shouldve known after I missed the bus that something was wrong. My cousin Eesha stayed behind with me and we waited on my parents to come get us... On our way to cash my mom's check, not even far from school, my neighbor called me and told me the bad news that made my whole heart drop and split into pieces.
"They found Tiffany. She's dead."
Impossble. That's foolery. She can't be. We rushed to my cousin's house to watch the news. They showed the area near my school where Tiff went missing. She was found across the street, in a field, faced down in frozen water. Someone working at the auto place found her. My cousin and my mom bursted into tears. I couldn't. I stared at the TV like this couldn't be happening. "This isn't real," I kept telling myself. I felt light headed. I felt like I wasn't there.
We went home. My phone was buzzing left and right. My best friend, Kiara, had called me first. Her and her mother wished their condolences. Next, Tiff's cousin whom I've known since kindergarten called me. We cried together. I turned my phone off. I couldn't deal with anymore text messages or phone calls. Once we got home, I sat on the couch and watched TV. People were stopping by to talk to my mom and hug and hold her. Not a tear had fell. My dad had to go run some errands so he asked would I like to come. Anything to get away from the sadness. I left with my dad. As he ran his errands, I was quiet. I left my phone at home and all I had was my iPod to keep my sanity. I would shed a few tears when he got out the car, but nothing noticeable enough for him to ask if I was alright. We didnt talk. It was a ride I felt I needed.
Still no signs of tears as 2/28 became the day we held a ceremony in her honor. I was extremely pissed off that I was unable to attend. I slept the entire day. The autopsy was performed that day. The results came back Monday that there was no foul play. Meaning no one was involved. Only marijuana was found in her body. Little does anyone know, the date rape drug (Rohypnol or Roofies) cannot be detected in the body after 72 hours after ingesting it. I point this out because there was a video released to my aunt a few days after the autopsy that showed Tiffany walking around in the parking lot of the banquet hall/carryout, crying out for help. She wanted someone to help her. Something was obviously wrong. People reported her cries for help a few days after hearing she had been found. Rohypnol is tasteless and odorless. It is a pill that can be slipped into your drink without you realizing it because it dissolves easily in beverages or alcohol. When combined with alcohol, it can impair judgment, impair motor skills, and cause memory loss or blackouts. Someone under the influence of Rohypnol can appear drunk. Other effects can be visual disturbances, drowsiness, confusion, or memory impairment. Mixed with alcohol, Rohypnol can even cause death.
I don't believe my cousin was drunk. I don't believe she walked herself across a busy 4 lane street and somehow fell over a gate and drowned. The media isn't shit. We doubt she had been across the street for a week before we had searched Tuesday for a little while and saw no sign of her. The police weren't on their shit. They didn't even want to report she had been missing. Rohypnol requires a special test. This test must be requested prior to the autopsy I'm guessing. Either way, that video of her lead me to believe she was drugged. She had been missing a week before found so traces of any drug were already gone.
Nevertheless, she was taken too soon from us...
I'll never forget Tiffany. She was truly beautiful beyond words. Her spirit, her class, her smile, even her laughs. She was a very sweet woman who would do anything for her kids. She had an amazing future ahead of her and I'm sad that it was all taken from her so soon. She didn't deserve it. Even after 4 years, I have trouble accepting the fact that you're gone so I won't. Its like we're going awhile without seeing each other & that's how I'll think of it until we meet again. I can understand why God would have wanted you with Him. You were truly beautiful in your own way and we'll never forget you. I miss you.
*WRITTEN 02/27/2013 at 1:42AM - REST IN PEACE TIFFANY*