Kriti Mehrotra
It was May 2004 when everything for the Simenehe-Hutson family turned upside down as 24-year-old nursing student Tamika Hutson suddenly disappeared without a trace left behind. That’s because, as explored in ABC’s ’20/20: The Girl Who Looked Like Me,’ it was not like her to vanish – she had a nice life, was enjoying the career path she had chosen for herself, and was happy. Therefore, they knew there was no way she would have voluntarily left, deciding to report her missing, only for it to later come to light she had been killed, shattering her mother’s and siblings’ hearts.
Tamika Huston Reportedly Hailed From a Big Family
Born on December 11, 1979, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to Gabriella Simenehe and Anthony Huston, Tamika was surrounded by care, kindness, and affection growing up. That’s because she was essentially always surrounded by loved ones even though her parents separated when she was young – whether it be her younger sister Antonia, her half-siblings, or extended family, she was close to them all. Therefore, of course, when nobody could reach her for days, they reported her missing on June 14, 2004, only for it to come to light she had been gone for quite some time.
After all, Tamika’s loved ones still remember that her pregnant dog Macy had actually given birth to a litter of puppies, most of which had died in the empty home. Plus, the dog herself was struggling to survive without food and water despite having drank from all the toilet bowls too, making it clear Tamika hadn’t left on her own accord and that it had likely been weeks since she was last home. The truth is the 24-year-old was independent and resided in an apartment alone, so even though the family was close, they didn’t talk every single day, and that’s why it took them a while to realize something was amiss.
When they did, though, they immediately began contacting the media to ensure Tamika’s case would reach as many people as possible so as to hopefully get a tip and get some answers. Little did they know they would hit dead ends more than they would receive interview confirmations, yet they never backed down from their efforts. Instead, over the months before it was ascertained she had actually been killed at the hands of her then-partner, Christopher Hampton, her mother Gabriella even pleaded with the public to help authorities with any information they might have. Not giving up hope, she urged them to call in.
Antonia Huston Vividly Remembers When She Realized Tamika Would Never Return
It was actually in August 2005 that Tamika’s cold remains were recovered from a shallow grave in a wooded area after Christopher had already confessed to his crime in complete detail. He was the one to lead officials there, who then contacted her family, only to reach her father Anthony’s place, which Antonia was visiting at the time. She just remembers her father screaming at the top of his lungs during that call, which is when she knew all their efforts to find her sister were in vain because she was in a place from where she could never return.
Nevertheless, instead of losing hope or turning bitter, Antonia and Gabrillea transformed their grief to power and began fighting to attain Tamika justice, unaware Christopher would plead guilty. So, during his sentencing, the matriarch didn’t shy away from expressing her true emotions, stating in part through tears in her eyes that her life without her daughter is now “so empty. I can’t imagine the rest of my life without her.”
Gabriella and Antonia Are Doing Their Best to Move Forward
Apart from the fact Antonia supported her mother every step of the way when Tamika’s case was ongoing, she has also done her best to support her and spend quality time with her in the years since. After all, she now knows the true meaning of loss, especially after not only losing her sister in 2004 but also her father as well as stepmother in 2017. As per records, Anthony actually died in a murder-suicide in 2017 – while it’s unclear precisely why he did so, he shot his then-wife in their shared home before turning the weapon on himself.
Coming to Gabriella and Antonia’s current standing, from what we can tell, they both are still based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where the latter actually serves as a serial entrepreneur. She actually prefers to go by the name Red Huston these days and is the proud owner-operator of a Boutique/Salon she named The Dollhouse 83. As for Gabriella, it appears as if she has since been doing her best to move forward from the past, all the while keeping her daughter’s legacy and memories alive.
Read More: Christopher Lamont Hampton: Where is the Killer Now?
