TOWN OF TONAWANDA, N.Y. — One day after being reported missing, a Buffalo woman was found dead in a vehicle in a nearby suburban town.
Town of Tonawanda Police said Akeda Howton, 40, was reported missing on Saturday, July 16 around 5:30 p.m. Around 4 p.m. the next day, detectives found Howton dead in a parked vehicle outside the Raintree Island apartments in the Town of Tonawanda.
Her family spoke with 2 On Your Side's Claudine Ewing.
Anita Howton, mother of Akeda said police told her that the person responsible for her daughter's death "killed her in the Ford Focus. He shot her twice, once in the head and once in the groin."
Her brother, Akeem calls the killer "a coward."
"Even though I've lived from faith to faith, this is the hardest thing in my life," her mother said.
The family said Howton was the mother of a seven-week-old son, born prematurely and remains in the NICU.
They point to Howton's relationship with the baby's father as being unhealthy.
"On Friday she went to her girlfriend's house and the girlfriend reported to me that he called her at least 50 times and she said to him why would I come to your house you're crazy," her mother said.
Howton was living on Woodlawn Avenue in Buffalo. It is where she was last seen on surveillance video on July 16 at 2:08 a.m. Her mother said the video shows Akeda "struggling with him (the baby's father)...and the car speeding off with a door open."
The boyfriend, according to the Howton family left a note inside his Raintree Island apartment that said "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for what I did."
He, according to the family, was found dead in Pennsylvania. "It's believed he took his own life."
Domestic violence, according to the family is real and concern. "We want to tell these young women out here when you see the red flag and you know it's not getting better, get somebody, there is help out here."
According to police, Howton had been shot. However, police note that Howton's cause of death will be determined following an autopsy.
Pennsylvania State Police confirmed the death of Kenneth Worthy. They say he died by suicide inside a hotel room at the Erie Inn & Suites in Erie, Pennsylvania. Worthy was the father of Howton's baby.
Police say they believe this homicide to be "an isolated incident," adding that there is no current danger to the community. No further information has been provided at this time.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the police at (716) 879-6614 or call their confidential tip line at (716) 879-6606. .