(Arlington, TN) We are learning more about a 19-year-old woman accused of brutally murdering a Memphis taxi driver.
Tanaju Rivers is in a Fayette County jail.
The taxi driver’s family can’t believe she could have stabbed and beaten Zewdneh Assemu all by herself.
We went to Fayette County to find out more about Rivers.
It turns out to Tanuja Rivers lives down a dirt road off Highway 196, the same highway where deputies found the taxi driver’s body in the field.
“They told me it was a female and I just couldn’t believe it,” said Bobby Assemu, the victim’s brother.
Zewdneh was found brutally beaten and stabbed next to his taxi cab in a field just down the road from Rivers’ home on December 6th.
Rivers was arrested over the weekend and charged with his murder.
“We are very happy that the TBI finally got somebody,” said Bobby.
Just like Bobby, WREG wanted to learn more about Rivers, but her family wouldn’t answer the door for us.
“I’m sure this is very upsetting for you guys,” said reporter Sabrina Hall.
“We got nothing to say,” said a man.
“Are you her father?” asked Hall.
“We have nothing to say, ma’am,” said the man.
From River’s Facebook page, she says she’s a housekeeper and in college. She took plenty of pictures of herself in the weeks after Assemu’s murder, a time when his family was torn apart.
“The person who killed my husband, killed me too and killed my kids too,” said Hamelmal Kassa.
Bobby says the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation hasn’t explained how they linked Rivers to his brother’s death.
“They say they have a lot of evidence that she committed the crime but I don`t know how many people helped her to commit this crime,” said Bobby.
He says the savageness of the crime makes him believe River’s didn’t act alone.
Rivers is being held in the Fayette County Jail on a $1 million bond and the taxi driver’s family says they plan to go all her court hearings to try to find out some answers.