‘Nobody deserves that’: Family seeks answers after learning gruesome details of teen’s murder

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A grieving family in Richmond is pleading for answers after they learned gruesome details about the murder of a 17-year-old.

According to state police, Cion Carroll’s remains were found last month in Lunenburg county in a shallow grave 10 days after he reportedly went missing on Nov. 2.

In the nearly two months since Carroll’s murder, his family has been forced to wallow in the reality that they still have few answers about who was responsible for his disappearance and death.

“I just can’t figure out why they’ve had no suspects, and they haven’t reached out to give us an update,” said Cion’s grandfather Junius Carter. “We need some answers.”

Baker says the 17-year-old was sent to live in Kenbridge in Lunenburg County to escape the violence in Richmond, but she would never expect he would become the victim of a murder.

“My soul is just gone,” said Carroll’s mother, Tiffany Baker. “I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I just lay there and think about my son.”

Baker says the family feels as if they’ve been purposefully left in the dark.

“I just wanted something different for him. I just wanted him to have a better life to pursue his dreams,” Baker said. “This is not it.”

Carroll’s family says Cion was last seen at his grandmother’s home on Nov. 2 when he suddenly went missing. Baker says they immediately reached out to the Kenbridge Police Department.

“I notified them on the second day that my son had to be in danger,” Baker said. “They gave me different scenarios on what probably happened, but me as his mother, I knew that those scenarios weren’t true.”

Carter says his family searched all over Kenbridge for more than 10 days. At that time, he says the only lead that had to go on was that Carroll’s iPhone pinged his last location at a home off Poor House Road in Luneburg County. Despite that fact, Baker says police did not search the residence.

“Nothing was done about that. No search warrant, no anything,” Baker said. “They actually made us leave from off of the property.”

Then, on Nov. 12, this family’s fears were confirmed.

State Police announced that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond identified the remains recovered from a shallow grave on Nov. 11 as Carroll’s.

Police said the remains were discovered on a property in the 200 block of Seay Way in the county, not far from the home off Poor House Road, the last known location of Cion’s phone.

Police said Carrol’s death is being investigated as a homicide.

But mid-December, Baker said she learned the gruesome nature of her son’s homicide after calling the Richmond Medical Examiner’s Office.

“He had two gunshot wounds, one to his head and one to his back which hit his spine,” Baker said. “He was then dismembered, and lye was poured on him along with cement, and then he was buried.”

Since then, his family says they’ve received few updates from Kenbridge Police Department.

“They didn’t have to do that to him. Nobody deserves that,” Carter said. “And he was a kid, He was a kid! and it hurts.”

NBC12 also reached out to the Kenbridge Police Department for a comment, but at this time, they have yet to respond.

“It was basically like my son’s life was in their hands, and they played with it,” Baker said. “It’s been too long with no answers, not even a suspect, nothing.”

Now Carter says his family’s fears will continue to grow unless someone comes forward with information that could lead to an arrest.

“It’s going to happen to some other kid because they think they can get away with it,” Carter said. “But I’m going to say is this. We ain’t going to give up, you ain’t going to sweep this under the rug, so if you know something, say something. Please.”

State Police says this remains an active investigation, and state police are actively pursuing several leads now. However, because it is an ongoing criminal investigation, state police are not in a position to release any additional information.

Copyright 2022 WWBT. All rights reserved.