Detroit police found, what they believe, were the remains of a missing mother of four, LaTima Warren, at a house on the city’s west side on Jan. 18.
WDIV reported that local police ambushed the home located on the 8000 block of Vaughan Street near Tireman Avenue and Evergreen Road. Detroit police said they discovered, what they believe, were Warren’s dismembered body parts in bags throughout the house during the ambush. They also said her newborn baby was found unharmed with her 44-year-old boyfriend. The boyfriend was taken into police custody.
Community activist Malik Shabazz, leader of the New Black Panther Party, led an initial street search on Jan. 17 to find the 33-year-old victim. She had been missing since Dec. 22.
Shabazz said that as he looked outside the Vaughan Street home for clues, he saw a messy plot of land in the backyard and Warren’s clothes. Then, he called the authorities.
“I said, ‘Either she is in there, or he is getting ready to put her in there,” he told WDIV.
Warren’s mother, Gwen Parks, was with Shabazz during the search. She said he was the only one who listened to her as she tirelessly looked for her loved one.
“I am the only person that’s been on this case,” Parks said.
She also told the news outlet that the police had not identified the body.
“The body right now is still in the morgue, and they haven’t finished identifying it yet,” she said. “They want me to come down and release a statement.”
Nonetheless, Parks believed the body belonged to her daughter.
“It means a lot to me to have closure,” she said. I know people go years without finding their loved ones, and this is not how I wanted to find her, but I did not want to give up looking for her.”
Last week, Crime Stoppers posted a flyer on Facebook searching for Warren. The post indicated that Warren was last seen leaving her house on Dec. 20, 2021. She wore a black puffer jacket, grey jogging pants, and pink boots.
Her family created a GoFundMe page for donations to cover funeral costs and, most importantly, to “keep her memory alive.”
