On March 21, 2020, three-year-old Erykah Taylor arrived at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, unresponsive. Shortly after her arrival, she was pronounced dead. Based on her injuries, which included bone fractures and multiple bruises, police did not believe the story they heard from Tonny Manns, the live-in boyfriend of Erykah’s mother and Erykah’s caretaker at the time she was fatally injured. After Erykah’s five-year-old sister told investigators what she witnessed, Tonny was arrested and charged with capital murder of a person under ten.

This is the story of a funny, sweet little girl with a huge, sunny personality whose family feels her loss every day. It’s also the story of a bully of a man who got away with the murder of a toddler with a mere slap on the wrist.

You’ll also hear my conversation with Erykah’s paternal grandmother, Andrei “Kookie” Harris, an amazing lady who is devoted to keeping her granddaughter’s memory alive.

This is the heartbreaking story of Erykah Taylor.

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This podcast is researched, written, hosted, edited, and produced by Laine.

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Music for this episode is from Audio Jungle.

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