Ty Kerria Tootie Dawson was 17 and a recent graduate of Antietam Academy when her body was found on June 27, 2020, in a wooded area behind Briargrove Court in Frederick, Maryland. She had been planning to attend Hagerstown Community College to study criminal justice and was remembered for her bright smile, love of music, dancing and basketball, and being family-oriented.

An autopsy found gunshot wounds to her head and a large laceration on her forehead. Investigators concluded she had been targeted. Authorities arrested two teenagers from Frederick: 16-year-old Richard Eugene Cartnail III and 14-year-old Caliyah Dawnae Lobaugh. Reports say Cartnail shot Ty Kerria in the woods after she walked there from his home; Lobaugh was alleged to have been waiting with a bag containing a handgun and a change of clothes. Both were charged as adults with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

The case left a community mourning a young woman with plans and promise. If anyone knew Ty Kerria, her movements that night, or has information about the people involved, please come forward.