Apartment Complex Maintenance Worker Accused of Murdering Girl, 15, Who Lived in Development

Janiya Carr’s body was found on Wednesday in the woods, behind the apartment building where she lived and the suspect worked

The body of a missing teenage girl was found in the woods behind her Indianapolis apartment complex — and now a maintenance worker in the development is accused of killing her.

On Monday, Oct. 30, 15-year-old Janiya Carr was reported missing by her mother, Demetria Boston, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement.

At noon last Wednesday, officers responded to a report of a body found in a wooded area near the Carriage House East Apartments, the IMPD said. A woman who was walking her dog found the girl’s lifeless body behind the complex, where Janiya lived, Fox 59 reports.

Janiya was pronounced dead at the scene from injuries consistent with gunshot wounds, the IMPD said. She had been shot in her right cheek and had suffered trauma to the back of her head, Fox 59 reports.

On Thursday, police arrested Tevis Walker, 34, for his alleged role in Janiya's murder, the IMPD said in the statement.

Investigators later learned that surveillance video allegedly showed Janiya getting into Walker’s Kia Optima at 4:32 a.m. on Saturday, Fox 59 reports.

An hour or so later, Walker allegedly drove his car to the wooded spot where Janiya's body was later found, according to the probable cause affidavit obtained by WTHR.

“The lights of (the) vehicle go off,” states the affidavit, Fox 59 reports. “Movement can be seen, but the view is not clear.”

At 5:25 a.m., Walker drove back to his apartment, parked the car and went inside the building, which is “just a few hundred feet from the scene,” the affidavit said, Fox 59 reports.

It is unclear how Walker and Janiya knew each other, or if they did. 

Authorities soon learned that Walker worked for Carriage House East, where Janiya lived. He also lived at the complex.

He allegedly told police that he picked up a girl on Saturday and drove her to buy a tablet, the affidavit said, Fox 59 reports. He said he drove the girl back to the complex when the person selling the tablet failed to show up, the affidavit said.

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Janiya's mother was sick with worry when her daughter went missing on Oct. 30 and reported her disappearance to police.

Authorities did not issue a missing persons alert for her, the Indy Star reports.

Police considered her a runaway, online records show, according to the Indy Star.

Suspect Had Active Warrants in 2 States

Boston was furious when she learned that Walker had active warrants in Alabama and Georgia, WTHR reports.

"How is it that they allowed this man to work here knowing that he has a warrant out of Alabama?" Boston said, WTHR reports. "How can you allow that? I feel tortured."

The owner of the apartment complex, the Gene B. Glick Company, said in a statement to WTHR that Walker had only been working at the complex for a few months.

"The Gene B. Glick Company was shocked and deeply saddened by the fatal shooting of Janiya Carr, a teenage resident of Carriage House East in Indianapolis. We mourn with her family and friends and our entire Carriage House East community over this senseless tragedy.

“A Carriage House East employee has been arrested for this crime and we are working closely with IMPD to actively assist with the investigation. Our community’s private security force, comprised of off-duty IMPD officers, has been working with and providing information to IMPD and their detectives and investigators.

The individual under arrest was hired in June 2023 after passing state and national background checks administered by a professional screening company. All Glick employee applicants must pass these background checks to gain employment. These checks did not reveal the individual’s pending charges in Alabama and Georgia, and we have an inquiry into our background check provider for further explanation."

Walker is being held without bond. It is unclear whether he has retained an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

The IMPD expressed its sorrow for Janiya's death.

“The senseless and tragic death of Janiya Carr is unconscionable and unacceptable for her family, friends and community,” IMPD Deputy Chief Kendale Adams said in the statement.

As police continue to investigate, Janiya's family is reeling.

“I feel empty,” Boston told Fox 59.  “I feel confused.  I have so many emotions.  I feel sick.”

A student at Arsenal Technical High School, Janiya recently attended her homecoming and planned to celebrate her 16th birthday in a few weeks, her mother told the Indy Star.

“I don’t know how to live with this pain,” Boston said, the Indy Star reports.

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