June 29, 2020 | By Jonathan Melancon

This story is part of a collaborative project between Project: Cold Case and a University of North Florida Journalism class. The student credited above wrote this story as a class project.

Miranda Grace Streed was born July 17, 1993, in Longview, Texas. She grew up with five siblings who described her as the “foundation” of the family.

She was a “miracle baby,” according to her father. Clay and Jeri Streed had suffered through two miscarriages before Miranda’s birth. One day at church, a member asked if she could pray for the Streed family. The couple accepted her prayer, and later that month, Jeri became pregnant with Miranda.

Miranda’s older sister, Courtney Hutton, remembers her as the funny little girl who loved to joke and had a presence that warmed everyone around her.

“She was my little baby,” she said.  “She would sneak in my bed.”

Growing up, Miranda attended private school. It was then that she became active in soccer with her younger sister Miriam.

“Miriam and Miranda were like best friends growing up,” Courtney said. “They were thick as thieves, so when Miranda passed, we all took it hard, but it may have been harder for Miriam.”

Clay Streed describes his daughter as a young woman who had a passion for helping others regardless of their backgrounds.

“She would help anyone that came to her,” he recalled. “I would often ask her ‘Miranda, why don’t you come home with us?’ and she would say, ‘because these people need me.’”

High school was difficult for Miranda. She began to hang out with the wrong crowd and started experimenting with drugs. As she neared the end of her teen years, she became pregnant. Her son, whom she named Teagen, quickly became the love of her life. Because of this love and her newfound role as a mother, Miranda started to change for the better. She began seeking out counseling.

Miranda never got to see the results from her counseling, as her life was taken not long after she started.

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Miranda Streed died on April 4, 2017, at the age of 23. She was fatally shot in the head.  Her murder remains unsolved and the family is left with questions surrounding her death.

Clay calls that April 4th as one of the worst experiences of his life. He and his wife were sound asleep in their home when a knock on the door woke them both up.

Clay stayed in bed while Jeri answered the door.

“I’m laying in bed and I hear my wife screaming ‘NO!’ at the top of her lungs,” he recalls. “I get up and go downstairs and I see a deputy at the door and he’s telling me that Miranda had been shot.”

“Just hearing ‘shot,’ I didn’t think that she could have died, but that’s what it was,” he said.

After hearing the news, Clay prayed harder that night than ever before. He prayed that his daughter would be okay and for this not to be the reality he was facing.

As people came to offer their condolences to the Streed family at her funeral, Courtney couldn’t help but notice something about those in attendance and learn something more about her late sister.

“Everyone loved Miranda,” she said. “Miranda had a way of touching many different people from different walks of life. She didn’t care if you came from drugs or the church, she brought many people together that day.”

Courtney vowed that day to love people the same way her sister did in life.

Shortly after Miranda’s murder, people who had struggles in their lives started turning things around. People in their community looked at Miranda’s death as a wake-up call and became versions of themselves they were proud of.

“I know a guy that just changed from becoming a guy that had problems with drugs and now he got his life together and became a great dad,” Clay said. “Whenever he sees Teagan, he always gives him the biggest hugs.”

Today, the Streed family honors Miranda’s memory in ways that impact the community. Her sister Courtney started a rehabilitation program for men. Her father Clay has started a campaign in her memory through his church called “Love like Miranda.” As for Miranda’s son Teagan, he plays baseball for his school wearing the familiar number 2 that was once worn by his mother on the soccer pitch.

“He looks and acts so much like Miranda,” Courtney said. “It’s almost like we have her all over again.”

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If you have any information on the unsolved murder of Miranda Streed, please contact the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office at (903) 843-2541.

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Research & Impact

Surviving victims of an unsolved homicide often have difficulty in allowing themselves to recognize that, while they have tragically lost a loved one to homicide, they themselves are a victim in the tragedy as well.

Most survivors remove their efforts toward addressing grief and recovery to focus on the emotional fight of advocating for their loved one. The weight of shouldering unacknowledged grief while advocating for a murdered loved one has been a common theme addressed in Project: Cold Case’s monthly grief support peer meetings.

Remember:

• Allow yourself permission to connect and identify where you stand with your traumatic grief process.
• Recognize that as a homicide survivor, you are also a victim.
• Find a space that facilitates and encourages addressing your grief.
• Grief is a fluid process.

It’s vitally important to take care of yourself while fighting for your loved one. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help.

For more information and specific advice, please reach out to our office.

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