The TikTok star made a plea to her followers to help her family solve the case.
TikTok star Ophelia Nichols revealed over the weekend that her son, Randon Lee, was killed on Friday, the day before his 19th birthday. In the tearful video posted Saturday, Nichols -- whose handle is @shoelover99 -- tearfully asked her over seven million followers for help catching the person or persons who murdered her son.
“Today would have been my baby child’s 19th birthday, but he was took from me last night,” Nichols told the camera through tears. “Took from my children and my husband and our family. My son was murdered. He was shot and I have this hatred in my heart that I don’t recognize 'cause I've never felt hate for anybody.”
“This individual took my son’s life. He was just 18 years old, that was the best part of somebody’s life. And I know they’re out there in my town. They're out there. They're out there living and breathing when my son is not,” she added.
@shoelover99 You will be found! You will reap what you sow in this world. You may not be caught now but its coming. I hope you see my sons face eveyday of your life
♬ original sound - ophelia 🦋
Nichols began to cry as she held up a picture of her and her son, and pleaded with her followers to “look at his face, 'cause I’ll never see it again.”
Nichols ended her video with a final plea to her followers to help her family solve her son’s murder.
According to local Alabama news affiliate WKRG, Nichols told the station that her son was shot at a gas station in Prichard, Alabama, before he drove off to another gas station, where he was found dead.
In the comments of her original video, Nichols told her followers that they have made progress in the case. “Just been told We have a lead on 2 individuals. I hope they see this video and know what they have done to my family,” she wrote in the comments.
In a statement to the Today show, a detective with the Prichard Police Department said the case "is still under investigation and authorities cannot provide any further details at this time."
Nichols, who is known as "Mama Tot" to her followers, has over 7.3 million followers on TikTok and has garnered 183.8 million likes on her videos.
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