Viswa Vanapalli
In October 2016, acting on a tip, the authorities made a horrific discovery at a trailer home in Everett, Washington. They found the body of Tianna Kirchner, a young girl who had not been seen for many years. In Crime Junkie’s ‘WANTED: Justice for Hassani Campbell and Tianna Kirchner,’ the viewers learn about the case in detail and what led to the discovery of Tianna’s remains. So, if you’re curious to find out more, here’s what we know.
How Did Tianna Kirchner Die?
Tianna Serena Marie Kirchner was born on May 28, 2007 to Tricia Kirchner. The latter had married the child’s legal father in May 2001, but they filed for divorce in December 2009, and it was finalized in April 2012. The divorce filings later indicated that Tianna had a difficult childhood. She was born with drugs in her system, and Tricia and her legal father had accused each other of being abusive and using drugs and alcohol.
The last record of Tianna being alive was in September 2010, when she received her vaccination. She was around four then and was never reported missing or dead. Acting on a tip, the police searched an address in Everett and found Tianna’s remains in a plastic tote encased in concrete on October 29, 2016. It seemed like she had been dead for many years, and while an autopsy was eventually conducted, the police remained tight-lipped regarding the cause of death.
Who Killed Tianna Kirchner?
The investigation revealed that Tricia had married another man in October 2012, who became Tianna’s stepfather. After that, the family moved in with his sister. According to her, Tricia claimed she lost her job after identifying Tianna’s body near Tacoma, Washington. The sister added that the former mentioned not wanting to have a funeral for the girl.
The authorities looked into Tianna’s disappearance after a relative told the police they believed she was dead while being cared for by Tricia. It was alleged that the little girl died before her mother remarried in October 2012; the latter had been living with him and four other kids in Lynnwood, Washington, at the time. The police learned that Tricia allegedly panicked after finding Tianna dead because she and the stepfather had a history with the authorities. So, she wrapped her in a towel and placed her in a cooler.
Then, after decomposition began, they reportedly poured concrete into the cooler and kept it with them for three more years. When the couple moved, they allegedly stored it at a relative’s home. Sometime in 2015, Tianna’s step-grandmother, Judy Wheeler, took out Tianna’s half-brother to a mall, and the kid, then nine, said that she was dead. According to Judy, Tricia had told her that the girl had died in a bathtub, after which she claimed to attempt CPR before peeing on her and passing out.
Then, in June 2016, Tianna’s stepfather was accused of inappropriately touching her half-sibling. Following that, Child Protection Services began inquiring about the four-year-old, but Tricia kept coming up with different stories regarding where the girl was. The authorities later stated that a social worker told them in 2016 that they had been looking for Tianna for about four years, calling to question how CPS dealt with their cases.
The investigation further revealed that Tricia and her husband provided different stories regarding how Tianna died, saying she passed away due to chicken pox and complications of a brain tumor. The police haven’t found any record of the victim enrolling in a school or being reported missing or dead. Over the years, the authorities have not made any arrests in the case and have provided little information regarding what they might have found out. Judy continued looking for answers and said of Tianna in November 2016, “To me, she was my daughter that I never had. She was the love of my life.”
