The remains of a young girl found in a storage bin in Lynnwood Wednesday has left more questions about her disappearance and what Child Protective Services knew about her situation.
Snohomish County Sheriff's detectives discovered the body of Tianna Kirchner that was hidden in the bin for at least four years. Child Protective Services last had contact with her family in 2010. Tianna would have been 9-years-old now, but she was never enrolled school, and wasn't ever reported dead or missing.
Here's what we know happened leading up to and after Tianna's death, according to court documents.
May 8, 2001 – Tianna's mother marries Tianna’s legal father according to Snohomish County recording office.
May 28, 2007 – Tianna Kirchner is born according to divorce record.
December 9, 2009 – Tianna’s legal father files for divorce from her mother according to court records.
February 16, 2010 – Tianna’s mother applies for Department of Social and Health Services benefits based for all of her children, including Tianna.
August 4, 2010 – Tianna’s mother files a change of circumstances application with DSHS listing her new address as 15815 Admiralty Way #C-6, Lynnwood. This is the last location Tianna’s step-grandmother says she saw her.
September 7, 2010 – Tianna receives her last known immunizations.
June 21, 2010 – Tianna’s aunt applies for benefits to provide day care services for all of Tianna’s mother’s children, including Tianna.
July 2010 – According to DSHS statement, Child Protective Services has its last involvement with the family.
December 14, 2010 – Tianna’s aunt is authorized and received compensation to provide daycare services for all of Tianna’s mother’s children, including Tianna.
February 9, 2011 – Daycare compensation was terminated because the “client no longer requires this service.”
April 25, 2012 – Divorce is finalized between Tianna’s legal father and mother (along with a parenting plan that includes Tianna).
October 6, 2012 – Tianna’s mother marries Tianna’s stepfather according to Snohomish County recording office and search warrant.
January 1, 2013 -- Application for DSHS benefits is submitted that includes Tianna’s name. It is also signed by Tianna’s stepfather.
2013-14 – Tianna’s mother, stepfather and siblings move in with her stepfather’s sister. The sister says Tianna’s mother told her she lost her job because she had to identify Tianna’s body somewhere near Tacoma. The sister says Tianna’s mother told her she didn’t want a funeral for the girl.
Early 2015 – Tianna’s step-grandmother says she took Tianna’s half-sibling to get clothing at Alderwood Mall. Tianna’s stepbrother was working there and Tianna’s half-sibling, who was about 9-years-old, was happy to see him. Tianna’s stepbrother asked her how Tianna was and her half-sibling said, “Tianna’s dead.”
Tianna’s stepfather’s sister told Tianna’s mother about the exchange, her mother became irate and said that ‘now she was going to go to prison.’
The next day Tianna’s mother told Tianna’s step-grandmother that Tianna had died in the tub. Tianna’s mother said that Tianna’s stepfather had taken all of the kids to get dinner except for Tianna. When he came back, Tianna’s mother was upstairs laying on top of the Tianna, “out cold” (passed out). Tianna was not breathing. Tianna’s mother had tried to give her CPR, freaked out, peed on her and then passed out.
Tianna’s mother said they put her body in a cooler trying to figure out what to do for a few days and at some time poured cement into the cooler. Tianna’s step-grandmother asked where the girl’s body was, and Tianna’s mother said the cooler was “underneath this address – ‘she’s here.’”
Approximately October 2015 – Tianna’s step-grandmother reportedly asks her son if Tianna’s body is still under the trailer off East Gibson. He says no.
Approximately June 2016 – Tianna’s half-sibling reported to school officials that Tianna’s stepfather had touched her inappropriately. CPS gets involved. He is questioned by Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and admits his actions. He is released. As of November 3, 2016 he is still not charged.
August 20, 2016 – A CPS social worker interviews Tianna’s mother and she provides a list of people who live in the house. The list does not include Tianna. When asked if she had any other children she replies “no.”
August 22, 2016 – A CPS social worker interviews Tianna’s half-sibling, who tells the social worker that Tianna is living with her father, but doesn’t know where that is. The half-sibling says Tianna has been gone “for a long time.”
August 23, 2016 – A CPS social worker leaves message for Tianna’s mother indicating that he ‘will assume the child is missing.’ Tianna’s mother calls back and refuses to disclose Tianna’s whereabouts. She says she’ll ask the person caring for Tianna to call the social worker.
August 26, 2016 – CPS is notified that Tianna is not up-to-date with her well check (medical check-up). A social worker calls a Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office detective saying that he wants them to get in touch with Tianna’s mother to find out where Tianna is. The detective calls Tianna’s mother who claims Tianna is on a camping trip and would be back Sept. 2, 2016.
September 7, 2016 – Everett School District tells CPS Tianna is not enrolled there. CPS speaks with another of Tianna’s siblings who says Tianna is living with her dad’s girlfriend. A CPS social worker calls Tianna’s mother and leaves a message saying if he didn’t get a call back he could file for dependency of the children.
September 9, 2016 – Tianna’s mother fails to produce Tianna as promised.
September 14-19, 2016 – A CPS social worker calls surrounding school districts to see if Tianna is enrolled. A Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office detective calls the social worker and says Tianna’s mother is now not returning his calls either.
October 10, 2016 – Tianna’s step-grandmother calls Woodinville Police to talk about “a matter of some significance.”
October 20, 2016 – Tianna’s step-great-grandmother calls Woodinville Police saying that Tianna had died. She said Tianna’s stepfather and mother had panicked and put the girl’s body in a cooler then poured concrete into the cooler and stashed it under a mobile home somewhere in Lynnwood ‘about a year ago.’
She also said that Tianna’s stepfather had molested Tianna’s stepsister. She said, “CPS has been trying to find Tianna for about four years to no avail.”
She said that Tianna’s stepfather and mother married “under the belief that they could have some protection(s) against testifying against one another should Tianna’s death and their efforts to conceal come to light.”
In that conversation it also comes to light that Tianna’s step-great-grandmother had information that Tianna’s stepfather’s sister might have helped move the body (the cooler) to the location under the mobile home. Tianna’s step-grandmother tells Woodinville police that the mobile home in question is owned by a man named ‘Chuck.’
Lynnwood police contacts Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office to involve them since the trailer is reportedly in the county.
Tianna’s step-grandmother and step-aunt meet with Lynnwood police. Tianna’s mother’s children were identified. During 2010-11 they were living at 15815 Admiralty Way, Apt. C-6, in Lynnwood. Their ages were 15, 12, 9, 7, and Tianna who was about 3 ½ to 4 at the time.
Tianna’s step-grandmother and step-aunt tell police the location where they believe Tianna was stored, deceased, in the cooler as an address belonging to Tianna’s maternal grandfather (12605 East Gibson Road #20, the Village Green trailer park). Tianna’s step-grandmother said she had gone to the address one time and noticed Tianna was missing. Tianna’s mother told her that Tianna had gone to live with her grandmother. Tianna’s step-aunt said Tianna’s mother told her that she’s lost her job because she had to wake up in the middle of the night to identify the body of her daughter, Tianna, who had died from chicken pox. Tianna’s step-aunt acknowledged she did not tell anyone about that.
Both said that CPS had been looking for Tianna and wanted to question the kids, so Tianna’s mother split them up. “[Tianna’s mother] said that if they couldn’t talk to the kids, they were going to file missing person’s reports.”
Lynnwood police calls CPS and speaks with a social worker. “[The social worker] explained that her office has in fact been searching for Tianna for some four years or so; that she is missing.” The social worker indicates “that at various times when they questioned [Tianna’s mother] about the whereabouts of Tianna, [she] would not cooperate, or would offer the names of people who had custody of Tianna, yet those people could not be located or would not verify custody.”
October 21, 2016 – Lynnwood police ran Tianna through WWCIC/NCIC and found no record of her.
October 24, 2016 – Snohomish County Major Crimes reviews Lynnwood police’s report. They call a CPS social worker who requested he speak with an investigator with DSHS for info on Tianna. She said she had to request permission from her supervisor to open an investigation so they could supply the documentation.
October 26, 2016 – Snohomish County Major Crimes says Tianna has not been listed as a missing person by CPS or anybody else. All information supplied by CPS indicates that Tianna hadn’t actually been seen by a caseworker for several years.
October 27, 2016 – Snohomish County Major Crimes obtains immunization records from Washington State Immunization System indicating her last immunization was on Sept 7, 2010.
October 29, 2016 – Tianna's body is found.
