Florida mom’s daughter was killed by a homeless man she helped. Her grief takes a strange turn as she gets plastic surgery to look like her
Some memories are more than skin deep
A mother can spend years seeking justice for her murdered child, but a guilty verdict cannot bring that child back. For one Florida woman, losing her only daughter and granddaughter left a void that even a courtroom victory could not fill.
Latoya Reid took an unusual step to keep her daughter’s memory alive. She underwent plastic surgery to resemble her, hoping to find something familiar in her own reflection. But the circumstances behind her family’s deaths made the tragedy even more heartbreaking.
According to Atlanta Black Star, Reid’s 20-year-old daughter, Massania “Carla” Malcolm, was killed in 2021 after offering shelter to a homeless man. Her 1-year-old daughter also died, while Malcolm’s boyfriend survived being shot. Five years later, the man responsible was finally convicted.
The pain didn’t end there
Malcolm and her boyfriend, Jordane, had allowed Doujon Griffiths to stay with them after he became homeless. However, tensions developed when the couple wanted him to move out.
According to prosecutors, Griffiths opened fire while they were taking him toward a bus stop in September 2021. Malcolm was killed, and Jordane survived his gunshot wounds.
Malcolm was reported missing before authorities discovered her body inside a vehicle two days later. Her daughter, Jordania, was also found inside the car. The 1-year-old died after being exposed to extreme heat.
Jordane later helped investigators establish what happened. Griffiths, meanwhile, disappeared and remained on the run for more than two years. Authorities eventually arrested him during a traffic stop in Linden, New Jersey, in March 2024.
For Latoya, the tragedy destroyed a future she had worked hard to build. She became a mother at just 14 and spent years overcoming hardships while raising Malcolm.
In 2016, the two moved from St. James, Jamaica, to Florida in search of better opportunities. Latoya eventually became a registered nurse, while her daughter was building a life of her own.
After Malcolm’s death, Latoya struggled to cope with the loss. Grief can lead people to deal with a loved one’s death in unexpected ways. For her, that meant undergoing plastic surgery to make her facial features look more like her daughter’s. “It was just a coping mechanism,” she explained.
“Every time I look into the mirror, I can have a glimpse of my child,” Latoya said. “I told the doctor that I wanted to look similar to her because every time I see myself, I see her as well. That was why I did that particular surgery.”
The trial also forced Latoya to face the man accused of destroying her family. She recalled feeling physically weak and shaking while sitting near Griffiths in court.
His behavior during the proceedings particularly disturbed her. According to Latoya, Griffiths appeared comfortable despite the seriousness of the charges against him.
“We sat there and observed Doujon taking notes, giggling and smiling and sitting there like nothing happened,” she recalled.
On October 1, an Orange County jury found Griffiths guilty of first-degree murder with a firearm, first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, and three counts of shooting at, within, or into a building.
For Latoya, the years-long effort to seek justice after losing a daughter finally resulted in a guilty verdict. Still, she described the moment as bittersweet.
“I didn’t want to be in this position where I lost my only child,” she told the Jamaica Star. Griffiths faces life in prison, with sentencing scheduled for November 16.
For now, Latoya’s priority is preserving the memories of the two people she lost. “We are going to continue to keep the names of my daughter and granddaughter alive,” she said.
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