A 16-year old girl was discovered dead on the side of a highway in South Los Angeles and now her family is banding together to demand officials to offer a reward for tips leading to an arrest, ABC 7 reports.

Tioni Theus was found dead on the morning of Jan. 8 when drivers saw her body on a highway several miles from her home in Compton, according to the California Highway Patrol. According to the coroner's office, Theus had a gunshot to her neck.

The family said the teen experienced a traumatic episode when her mother was seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident, leaving her physically and mentally disabled, the Los Angeles Times reports. Her cousin, Nafeesah Kincy, said Theus met a man in his 20s who convinced her to participate in prostitution, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"We're definitely not pretending that Tioni was an angel. She faced trauma," Kincy said, according to the Times. "I want to humanize her. I don't want her to be seen as a prostitute or a runaway or somebody that people feel like, 'Oh, well, they live that lifestyle.'"

City officials will vote to decide the reward amount

The city council and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors will vote to decide the amount of the reward and will amplify the teen's slaying. 

Councilmembers Curren Price and Marqueece Harris-Dawson proposed a motion for a $50,000 reward during Tuesday's City Council meeting. L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell is expected to submit a proposal for a $10,000 reward during the Board of Supervisors meeting.

"Tioni was a young lady with so much promise, joy and spirit, with God-given gifts and talents to give to the world. She had so much to live for and countless unfinished dreams," Price said in a statement. "It's disheartening to know that the person or persons responsible for her killing are still on the loose while a family and the entire community continues to grieve in search for answers."

Theus' family continues to champion for justice

Her family is insisting anyone with any information about Theus' death come forward.

"Whoever knows what happened needs to say something," Kincy said. "It's just as simple as that. She was a human being. She didn't deserve this."

Theus' cousin Rashida Kincy described her as a "vibrant young lady who was just cut from so much that was ahead of her," according to ABC 7.

California highway police captain pleaded with the public to check their cameras

California Highway Patrol Captain Jeff Lofton addressed the media on Saturday.

"If you're from the neighborhood here and you have cameras in your vehicle, and you were driving along the route, or if you're driving on the 110 Freeway that morning, please look through your video," the captain said, according to ABC 7. "If you find something during that time period at Manchester and the 110, call our investigators."

Many critics questioned why a $250,000 reward was offered for information on the killing of Brianna Kupfer, a young woman stabbed to death, yet no such provisions were made in connection to Theus' death.

Kupfer was stabbed while she was working alone in the Hancock Park furniture store. The suspect was apprehended one day after Councilmember Paul Koretz instituted a motion for a $50,000 reward for details about Kupfer's death. The reward amount increased to $250,000 due to community contributions.

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