BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — November 6 will mark 20 years since Tiona Smith was found dead in a Baltimore County neighborhood, and her mother is still pushing for her killer to be brought to justice.
On Theresa Wooden's coffee table sit photos throughout the years, cherishing her daughter, Tiona Smith.
"My daughter would give you your heart, and I'm the same way. That's what she probably got it from, but she would give you her heart. She would do anything to help people," Wooden said.
Kindness was Tiona's life calling. A Carver High School graduate, Tiona dreamed of working with children with special needs after going to Towson University. She worked at what used to be a McDonald's on Cranbrook Road in Cockeysville.
One night after work in November 2005, she took the bus to Eutaw and Fayette Street in Baltimore City. She got into a four-door car with three unknown people and was never seen alive again.
"But that night, when they knocked on my door and said 'they found her, she was killed.' I just flipped," Wooden said.
Children playing in a Woodlawn neighborhood found her body the next morning, still in her McDonald's uniform, with trauma to her head and upper body.
Theresa Wooden still lives with the pain 20 years later.
"It takes 9 months to have a child and then it takes a couple of seconds somebody to take your child away from you. That's not good," Wooden said.
Baltimore County police looked into the case but couldn't identify a suspect, and it eventually went cold. Though recently, police say DNA evidence is being tested in-house.
With 20 years gone by, Wooden hopes this time it turns up something and gives her the justice she's craved for two decades.
"I'm not looking for revenge. I'm just looking for justice for my daughter because the way she died, she didn't deserve to die like that," Wooden said.
Baltimore County's Cold Case Unit is still actively looking into Tiona's murder. If you have any information about that night which could help them, call them at 410-887-3943.
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