Amanda Langston is no stranger to grief. In 2020, she lost her oldest son. Less than a year later, she lost her oldest daughter, Faithe Ely.
Faithe was a mother herself, and what Amanda described as “a beautiful mess.”
“Her apartment, when she had one, was a complete disaster. I don’t know how she found anything,” Amanda told Dateline. But when it came to her two kids, they were polished. “They looked great. Completely matching, assembled, well put together. You would never know,” Amanda said with a laugh.
According to her family, the 23-year-old followed her own path. “She just kind of went with the wind,” Faithe’s younger sister, Kaitlynn Alderman, told Dateline. “Wherever she landed, she’d have makeup, she’d have clothes, she’d have her toiletries.”
Kaitlynn was only 360 days younger than Faithe, but the two were quite different. “She was that typical girl’s girl growing up. We did argue quite a bit, just because we were total opposite ends of being a girl. I was the tomboy,” Kaitlynn said.
The sisters grew up in Shawnee, Oklahoma. “Anywhere we went, I was the introverted one and she was the extroverted one,” Kaitlynn said. “And as long as she was with me, I knew she had the spotlight and I didn’t have to talk to anybody.”
In March 2021, Faithe was living with her boyfriend in Wewoka, Oklahoma. On March 28, she met up with her mother to pick up clothes and some of her other belongings.
One of those items was a pendant containing her brother’s ashes. Stephan Ely died in a car accident in June 2020. “I had made a memory book for her of Stephan and their childhood growing up,” Amanda said.
Faithe was in a rehab facility in California when Stephan died. She was battling alcohol and drug addiction. Amanda told Dateline that Faithe chose to come home from rehab about a month after Stephan’s death. “She didn’t want to be out there away from us any longer,” Amanda explained.
When Amanda saw her daughter on March 28, they talked about Faithe’s new job at a cafe in Wewoka. “She was very proud of herself and I was giving her all the praise,” Amanda said. Faithe talked about saving money for a car and taking steps to raise her son, Ayden, who was in Amanda’s care.
Amanda reassured Faithe. “‘You can pull yourself together. You can do this. You’re halfway there,’” she told her daughter.
As the two parted ways, Amanda saw Faithe’s demeanor shift. “I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what. But I just figured — like she usually would — she would just call me later and let me know what’s going on,” Amanda said.
Around 8:30 p.m., Amanda received a call no parent ever wants to get.
“I mean, you get that kind of phone call. Somebody’s screaming at you. I don’t even know this woman,” Amanda remembered. It was the mother of Faithe’s boyfriend. She told Amanda Faithe had been hit by a car.
Amanda asked to talk to the officers on the scene. According to Amanda, she received little information from the police. Then she called Kaitlynn and her husband. “We just hauled tail down there,” Kaitlynn said.
Faithe was found on State Highway 65, which is a rural two-lane highway, near Wewoka.
Kaitlynn described this particular part of Highway 56 as the “middle of nowhere.” There are no streetlights, and Katilynn couldn’t see Faithe when she first arrived. “We pull up, I hop out of the truck and I just — I just start running,” she said.
Kaitlynn says she saw authorities standing around her sister’s body, which was lying next to the road. “I stayed until they took her away,” she said.
Dateline contacted the Oklahoma Highway Patrol for an interview about Faithe’s case, but has not yet heard back. According to the OHP’s incident report obtained by Dateline, officers arrived on the scene at 8:53 p.m. The report says the incident would be investigated as an accident, but “will possibly be an intentional act.” According to the report, the case was turned over to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation at 2:25 a.m. In response to Dateline’s interview request, OSBI Public Information Manager Hunter McKee said the case agent would not be available for an interview. He stressed that Faithe’s case is “an ongoing investigation for the OSBI and we do encourage those with additional information to reach out.”
According to the autopsy report from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Faithe’s cause of death was “multiple blunt force trauma due to probable automobile versus pedestrian.” The medical examiner ruled her death an accident. A vehicle has not been identified in the case.
“The only thing that’s gonna help this case is a confession or a witness statement,” Amanda told Dateline. “There are children who do not have their mother and do not understand why no one’s been held accountable for it.”
Kaitlynn and her husband adopted Faithe’s son after her death. Her daughter is being raised by her paternal grandparents. “She didn’t get to make it to big milestones with her children,” Kaitlynn said. “I think that messes with me so much because I get to — I get to witness those.”
Amanda and Kaitlynn have created a Facebook page to bring attention to her case and support families who’ve lost someone through homicide.
They are also trying to raise money for a reward. “Somebody somewhere knows something,” Kaitlynn said. “It could be something that really changes the course of this case for law enforcement and for us.”
Amanda continues to fight for justice for her daughter. “If you find yourself facing the same dilemma, do not be afraid to ask questions, to push for answers,” Amanda said. “Don’t give up,” she added.
If you have information about Faithe’s case, you can submit a tip to the OSBI at osbi.ok.gov or call 1-800-522-8017.
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