She Went Missing After Bowling With Her Friends For Her Birthday And Four Months Later She Was Found Dead In The Trunk Of Her Own Car
Queens, New York. 26-year-old Destini Smothers lived in Troy, New York, along with her 2 young sons and boyfriend, Kareem Flake.
Destini had been in a relationship with Kareem for 13 years, and he was also the father to both of her sons.
Destini was sensitive and kind. She loved being a mom to her sons, and they were her whole world.
On November 3rd of 2020, Destini and Kareem drove to Queens to celebrate her 26th birthday at a bowling alley with a few of her friends.
Destini, her friends, and Kareem arrived at Bowlero Bowling Alley, which sits at 69-10 34th Avenue, for their fun, celebratory evening.
When the night was done and the bowling was over, Destini’s friends later said that she got into her 2011 black Toyota Camry with Kareem and the couple drove off.
Facebook; pictured above is Destini
The very next morning, Destini was supposed to do some shopping with her mom, before heading to a funeral for Kareem’s grandma.
Destini did not show up that morning to meet up with her mom, and then she failed to show up at the funeral.
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Destini’s mom called Kareem that day to ask where Destini was, and he told her an interesting story that she simply did not believe.
Kareem claimed that after bowling the night before, he had argued intensely with Destini about something while they were in her car.
As they were driving down Grand Central Parkway, Destini jumped from the car, but she did not take her cellphone, money, ID, keys, or purse with her.
Destini’s family knew something had to be terribly wrong, since she would not have gotten out of the car on a major highway all alone in the middle of the dark, especially without taking any of her things with her.
Destini’s family reported her as missing, and in the months that followed, they desperately tried to search all over Queens for her.
Sadly, they would find Destini 4 months later, dead in the trunk of her own car.
It was March 10th, 2021, when someone in the neighborhood of South Ozone Park called 311 to ask that they come out to tow a 2011 black Toyota Camry.
Facebook; pictured above is another photo of Destini
The car had been sitting there abandoned on Lefferts Boulevard for a little over 2 months, and the license plates had been removed from the car.
That 2011 black Toyota Camry turned out to belong to Destini, and remember, her boyfriend had told her mom that she had jumped out of it and left.
When tow truck operators came to remove Destini’s car from the street, they ended up opening the trunk and finding Destini inside.
The medical examiner determined that Destini had been murdered, and there was a bullet that had been found in her skull.
According to a GoFundMe page created by Sulaiminah Burns for Destini’s family, her boyfriend Kareem was the very last person to see her alive, and he has since gone missing.
“Destini Smothers loved her children more than anything,” Sulaiminah wrote. “In family photos, she is often smiling and holding or kissing one of them.”
“Videos of her show a bubbly, happy woman enjoying life with her children and family. Always dancing, singing, laughing….that was Destini.”
“Destini did not deserve what happened to her….no one does. Her children do not deserve to grow up in a world without her. Kareem and Kaden lost so much on November 3rd, 2020.”
“Their mom and their dad….he has not been in touch with them since that fateful night. I am asking anyone who can, to please help bring her killer to justice and to support her beautiful children.”
If you have any information related to Destini’s case, please call the NYPD’s tip line at 1.800.577.TIPS.
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