Candlelight vigil held for Detroit girl that was fatally stabbed

By Taryn Asher
Fox 2 News

DETROIT (WJBK) -- A candlelight vigil was held Tuesday in memory of eight-year-old Tameria Greene, who would've turned nine on Wednesday.  Family, friends and concerned members of the community are grieving over the loss of an innocent child and the circumstances that led to her tragic death.

Police are still investigating what exactly happened inside an east side Detroit apartment on Larned early Sunday morning. Tameria was found lying on the kitchen floor. The medical examiner said she died from a single stab wound to the chest.

Police arrested Tameria's mother, but she still hasn't been charged with her daughter's murder. Meanwhile, her sister spoke out on her behalf claiming that she is a loving and caring mother, but she is also a victim of domestic violence and that police had been called to the apartment several times.

Relatives refused to be specific on what they believe played a role in Tameria's death, but neighbors were. They feel the system failed the family and claim the mother should have never had custody of her five young children, that she abused and neglected them, she had a history of drug and alcohol abuse and suffered from mental issues.

We've learned Child Protective Services had removed the children before.

"In the end, I still say the system failed these people because they have a record," said Sandrew King, who organized the vigil. "The sister said there [are] police records, there [are] CPS records. The system could've done something to prevent this."

As officials investigate what went wrong, Tameria's four brothers -- ages one, two, four and seven -- are back in foster care. 

Their paternal grandmother, Aliya Johnson, is worried now about their welfare.

"The system [does] know what they did, they definitely know what they did. The last thing I'm going to say it's a tragedy that should not have happened at all," she said.