‘She’s bubbly. She’s vivid’: Metro-east mom mourns daughter killed in St. Louis
Kiya M. Holt-Biggs of Pontoon Beach is being remembered by her mom for her "bubbly" and "on-the-go" personality.
"She's bubbly. She's vivid. She's lively," said Shawna Holt as she described her memories of her 21-year-old daughter. "She always laughed."
Holt-Biggs was found slain on Oct. 19 in St. Louis. Police have said Holt-Biggs' boyfriend was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with her death.
Shawna Holt and other family members and friends will gather from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 for a memorial visitation at Wojstrom Funeral Home & Crematory at 3939 Lake Drive in Granite City.
"She was just always on the go," Holt said. "She enjoyed life. She didn't know a stranger. She talked to everybody."
Holt, 44, said her daughter had diverse interests, ranging from watching reruns of "The Golden Girls" sitcom with her grandmother to dancing and making rap videos.
"She had an old soul," Holt said. "She loved the '80s music. She was my '80s baby even though she wasn't.
"She just lived life to the fullest."
Holt-Biggs was born on April 4, 2003, in Maryville, graduated from Logos School in Olivette, Missouri, then lived with her mother in Pontoon Beach. The two worked together at Wendy's in Collinsville.
Along with mother, Holt-Biggs' survivors include her father, Todd Biggs, and a brother and two sisters.
Murder charge
Zaveon Alexander Mills, 21, was charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with Holt-Biggs' death, according to an arrest warrant and a probable cause statement.
The charges allege the victim's throat was slit and her body burned in the 1200 block of Switzer Avenue in north St. Louis.
The probable cause statement by a St. Louis detective made the following allegations against Mills:
On Oct. 19, Mills is seen on surveillance video driving a car onto an empty lot in the 1200 block of Switzer Avenue in St. Louis.
He gets out of the vehicle, removes the victim from the trunk and then slits the victim's throat before getting back into the vehicle and driving away.
He later returned to the scene and used "an aerosol can as an accelerant to light the body on fire before leaving the scene."
