A young college student was brutally stabbed to death in Montgomery, Ala., on Sunday, July 14, and police are still searching for a suspect, according to multiple outlets.
Montgomery Police Department and Fire Medics first responded to a call around 10:43 a.m. that Sunday morning regarding a stabbing, AL.com reports. Upon arrival, Alabama State University student Tiana Dye, 21, was found with a fatal stab wound to her chest on Clanton Avenue, less than half a mile from her college campus, 11 Alive reports. She was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced deceased.
An investigation is still underway, and no suspects have been identified.
Dye was on track to graduate with a degree in biochemistry in the spring and had aspirations to become a dermatologist, 11 Alive reports.
According to a GoFundMe page created to help with funeral expenses, Dye was a member of the honor society and the ASG’s NAACP chapter. She was “consistently demonstrating her commitment to academic excellence and social justice,” the GoFundMe states. “Her hard work and perseverance earned her a spot on the Dean’s list, reflecting her exceptional dedication to her studies.”
Prior to becoming an ASU student, Dye graduated from Riverdale High School in Clayton County, Ala., and her alma mater shared a statement following the news of her death.
“Tiana Dye’s life was unjustifiably cut short this past Sunday and her family is in need of some additional support if you are able to do so,” the Riverdale High School Instagram page shared on July 17.
Dye’s mother, Danielle Luckett, told 11 Alive that she received the news of her daughter’s death that same afternoon.
“They told me that my daughter came in with a stab wound and that they did everything they could, but they couldn’t save her,” Luckett tearfully told 11 Alive. “It was the worst day of my life. And it still is.”
“I see her laying there — just trying to, probably, fight for her life,” Luckett continued. “My heart breaks because I couldn’t help her,” she continued. “I don’t know how to live forward knowing I’ll never see my child again — ever.”
Luckett also told 11 Alive that she has security footage from her daughter’s apartment that shows Dye “putting the knife on the porch and talking on the phone to somebody.”
“This does not seem like any accident or self-defense,” Luckett said of the footage. “I see my daughter being murdered and it being intentional. And something has to be done.”
MPD asks individuals with knowledge of this death investigation to call CrimeStoppers at 215-STOP, the Secret Witness line at 625-4000, or MPD at 625-2831.
