FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina — For nearly five years, Laniyah Whitted’s family searched for answers.
They walked the streets. They combed through wooded areas. They waited.
Last week, those answers finally came — and they were devastating.
Human remains discovered in a wooded area near Fayetteville have been identified as Laniyah Whitted, a 17-year-old girl who was last seen alive on November 16, 2021, when her family dropped her off at Cape Fear Valley High School. She was reported missing one week later.
The remains were confirmed through dental records.
A Family’s Worst Fear Confirmed
Laniyah’s aunt, Ashley Whitted, said the past 48 hours have been among the hardest the family has endured.
“They identified Laniyah with her dental work, from the remains that were left out in the grave or wherever he put her,” she said.
Another aunt, Nicole Walton, recalled how the family had searched that very area themselves in the months after Laniyah disappeared.
“We walked down the street, trying to find something,” Walton said.
A 22-Year-Old Now Faces Murder Charges
Kabron Thaggard, 22, appeared in court this week on charges of first-degree murder and concealing a body.
Cumberland County District Attorney Billy West said Thaggard shot and killed Laniyah during a teen domestic dispute.
“She was shot in the head as a result of a teen domestic dispute,” West said.
Thaggard was already being held on separate charges at the time of his arrest. He is currently in custody without bond.
“She’ll Always Be Forever 17”
Despite the grief, Ashley Whitted made clear she wants people to remember Laniyah for who she was — not how she was lost.
“She’ll always be forever 17,” Ashley said. “She’s forever my 17, and that’s how we look at it, full of energy.”
A young life cut short. A family that never stopped looking. And a community now left to grieve alongside them.
What would you want the world to remember about a young life lost too soon? Share your thoughts in the comments.