Home Where Kidnapped Teen Was Found Murdered Demolished
OAK CLIFF (CBSDFW.COM) - The house at the center of a violent kidnapping, Amber Alert and murder was torn down this morning.
The house in the 2200 block of East Kiest Boulevard in Oak Cliff is where the bodies of Shavon Randle and Michael Titus were found in July.
Investigators say drug dealers grabbed the girl and held her for ransom after a stash of drugs was stolen from a nearby motel. Police arrested several people in connection with Randle's kidnapping but no murder charges have been filed.
An autopsy later showed that Randle died after being shot in the head and torso.
The vacant house had been boarded up since the bodies were discovered, but community leaders were calling for it to be torn down. The Dallas County District Attorney's Office put the brakes on any attempts at demolition because the house was a crime scene and they wanted to make sure all of the evidence related to the murders had been collected.
Crews arrived with a bulldozer just before 9 a.m. Dozens of neighbors, relatives and friends were there to see the house razed. The bulldozer moved in about 9:20 a.m. and began leveling the property.
Family members say the demolition can't erase what happened and Randle will always be remembered. Randle's great aunt, Cynthia King, said, "Her death will not be in vain, it will not be in vain. Her name will live on. We are her voices."
Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway said the demolition means the house will no longer stand as a constant reminder of the loss. "It is very important that we get this out of the site of the community. We have a school, we have a library, we have kids, [and] we have a community that has memories of what is here on a daily basis."