College Station Police Department Tiaundra Kae Christon.
Tiaundra Kae Christon has reportedly admitted that she and her boyfriend, Kenny D’Shawn Hewett, beat her two-year-old daughter, Hazana Anderson, to death. A probable cause statement from the Texas Department of Public Safety reveals that Christon further told police that she kept her daughter’s corpse in her car for three days, before dumping the body in Galveston County, Texas.
21-year-old Christon was initially arrested in connection to the toddler’s disappearance on October 29, one day after she reported Hazana missing. Christon told officers with the College Station Police Department that Hazana had vanished while they were at a park on Sunday, October 28. But after about 24 hours of searching, law enforcement decided that Christon had either lied or withheld crucial information.
On October 31, College Station police revealed in a news conference that remains “consistent with a small child” had been discovered in Texas City, in Galveston County. But chief Scott McCollum said it could take several weeks to positively identify the remains. Police added a new charge against Christon: Tampering with a corpse.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Police: Christon Initially Told Officers She Left Hazana in a Stroller While She Went Back to the Car to Get a Bottle; Officers Later Found a Toy Doll Matching Hazana’s Description
Tiaundra Kae Christon called police on Sunday, October 28, to report her toddler was missing. College Station Police officers responded to Gabbard Park, located at 1201 Dexter Drive South, around 9:20 a.m.
She told officers that she brought 2-year-old Hazana to the park around 8 a.m. At some point, Christon decided to leave Hazana in the stroller while she walked back to her car to retrieve a bottle. The child was reportedly gone by the time Christon walked back to the stroller a few minutes later. Two fishermen working in the park reportedly told police they heard Christon screaming and rushed over to help look for her daughter, according to KBTX-TV.
Officers with the College Station Criminal Investigation division joined the search, which included checking nearby homes and backyards. Police dogs were brought in but failed to find Hazana’s scent. Drones helped widen the search beyond the park. Divers were used to go through the pond located inside the park, in case Hazana had fallen in. The search came up empty.
What officers did find was a baby doll that had been thrown into a trash can near Christon’s vehicle. The doll was wearing the clothing that matched the description Christon gave to police. According to the probable cause statement from the Texas Department of Public Safety,”Christon confirmed the clothes on the doll belonged to [Hazana], but she did not have knowledge of how the clothes were placed on the dolls.” Christon was then arrested.
2. Tiaundra Christon Was Arrested October 29 After Police Concluded She Had Lied to Officers; She Now Faces Another Charge of Tampering With a Corpse
College Station Police announced on Monday, October 29, that Tiaundra Kae Christon had been arrested in connection to her daughter’s disappearance. She was booked into the Brazos County Jail. The initial bond was set at $2,000 before being increased to $250,000.
On November 1, police added a new charge: Tampering/fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse. The bond on that charge alone is $500,000.
According to jail records, she was initially charged with filing a false report and Abandoning/Endangering a Child. Child endangerment is a felony. Under Texas law, “a person commits an offense if he/she intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence, by act or omission, engages in conduct that places a child younger than 15 years in imminent danger of death, bodily injury, or physical or mental impairment.”
The police department shared on Facebook that the “charge of “Abandoning/ Endangering a Child” was due to Miss Christon placing the child in an environment, “near a body of water”, that posed a potential risk to the safety of the child.” The false report charge was added because they had evidence Christon “was not providing truthful information regarding the incident.”
3. Officials: Tiaundra Christon Admitted That Hazana Died After She & Her Boyfriend, Kenny Hewett, Had Hit the Toddler Repeatedly With a Belt; There Was Also Physical Evidence of Sexual Asault
According to investigators, Tiaundra Christon confessed that she and her boyfriend, Kenny D’Shawn Hewett, head beaten Hazana while staying at a hotel in the Houston area. The probable cause affidavit states that Hewett took Hazana to get food on October 19.
When they arrived back at the hotel, Christon says Hazana was crying. She admitted that Hewett began beating Hazana with a belt, hitting her arms, legs and face. Christon said Hewett urged her to also hit Hazana with the belt.
After several minutes, Hazana began to lose consciousness. Christon explained they put the toddler into the bathtub to try to revive her. But the little girl died from her injuries.
When Christon removed her daughter from the tub, she apparently noticed evidence that Hazana had been sexually assaulted. The affidavit states that Christon told investigators that the child’s “anus was open very wide and questioned why her anus would do this.”
4. Officials: Christon Said She & Hewett Dumped the Corpse Into a Body of Water
Galveston County CorrectionsKenny D’Shawn Hewett.
Tiaundra Christon and Kenny Hewett reportedly tried to hide Hazana’s body. Christon told investigators they hid the corpse under the floorboard of the back passenger seat in her vehicle. The body remained there for three days. The body was wrapped in a plastic trash bag.
On October 23, as explained in the affidavit, Christon says she and Hewett drove to a body of water to dump the corpse. They attached a heavy rock to the bag, and tossed it into the water. Five days later, Christon made the call to police and claimed that her daughter was missing.
After her arrest, Christon agreed to show investigators where they had dumped Hazana’s body. As police mentioned on October 31, it could take several weeks to positively identify the remains that divers recovered. But investigators said the remains that were found matched the description provided.
Kenny Hewett was arrested October 31 in Galveston County and booked into the local jail. According to the affidavit, Hewett confirmed the details Christon provided in a separate interview with investigators. Hewett was also charged with tampering or fabricating physical evidence with intent to impair a human corpse. Inmate records show Hewett is 32 years old and was being held on $500,000 bond.
5. Hazana’s Father, Tobodrick Anderson, Said He Used to Be the Primary Caregiver But That Tiaundra Christon Kept His Daughter Away From Him For At Least Two Months
Hazana’s father, Tobodrick Anderson, told ABC affiliate KTRK-TV that he had not seen his daughter for two months prior to her disappearance. He explained to a reporter that after he and Tiaundra Christon had split up, they initially tried to set up a co-parenting schedule. He mentioned that he became the primary caregiver for a time, and thought Christon preferred it that way.
But Anderson explained that he and Christon’s communication took a dive. He claimed that Christon and her mother decided to keep Hazana away from him. He said Christon would either avoid her house or refuse to open the door when he came by, and that Hazana’s grandmother would not answer his phone calls.
Anderson explained that it was College Station Police, not Christon, who first called to inform him that Hazana had vanished. He described feeling “terror, panic, confusion, worry, dread, resentment” when he heard the news. Anderson explained that he thought it was “odd” that Christon had chosen to bring Hazana to Gabbard Park, for two reasons. First, he said there are plenty of other parks closer to Christon’s own home. And second, Anderson and members of his family live in the area. Considering the estrangement between the couple, Anderson said it seemed strange that Christon would choose to bring their daughter to a park so close to Anderson’s home.
Anderson explained that he jumped in to help police by assisting with the door-to-door search. While he was doing that, he said Christon remained sitting in the park. Anderson told the reporter that he confronted Christon, and accused her of not being concerned about their daughter. He said Christon kept repeating to him that she thought Hazana would be ok for a few minutes while she grabbed a bottle.
When the reporter asked Anderson whether he thought Christon could have been involved in Hazana’s disappearance, he responded that he “didn’t want to say that.” But he acknowledged that “things don’t add up.” Anderson said he was trying to stay positive. He was hoping that perhaps Christon had given Hazana to another relative and that his daughter was safe.
After a child’s remains were discovered Christon and Hewett were arrested for tampering with a corpse, Anderson’s optimism appeared to fade. He told KBTX-TV that he believes the remains were those of his daughter and has begun making funeral arrangements. He speculated about whether his estranged relationships with Christon could have served as a motive to hurt Hazana. He told the TV station, “A part of me feels like it was to get back at me. A lot of times, we had discussions, whether it was arguments, of me just wanting my daughter. Whatever she was doing, she could have did it, I just wanted my daughter.”
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