BAYTOWN, Texas — Members of the Baytown community gathered at a neighborhood park Monday night to remember the 15-year-old girl whose body was found there last week.
Jania Tatum-Scott was found shot to death in Tejas Park by police on Tuesday, December 28.
Friends and family said goodbye to the high school sophomore sooner than any of them ever expected.
“She always had everyone’s back she would never let you down, you could always count on her to go to,” a friend said.
“I know we’re all so proud of her for how far she got,” said another friend.
Jania's body was found across the street from her mother’s apartment.
Friends and family asked for help finding her killer and pledged their support for a mother whose daughter is gone.
“I want it to be the last time that we’re looking down on one of our relatives,” Jania’s cousin said. “I want us to take the two minutes that’s given at a service to speak to the family and let the family know that we need to stop looking down at each other, that we need to face each other when we’re living, give the flowers while we’re living, because when we’re gone, it benefits the ones who are still here, it doesn’t benefit Jania.”
Baytown Police said last week they would release more information as it becomes available.
They did not respond to our request for an update on Monday.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Baytown Police Department at 281-422-8371 or Baytown Crime Stoppers at 281-427-8477.