Photo: TikTok
People can grieve in different ways.
By Sanika Nalgirkar — Last updated on Aug 19, 2022
The fiance of Andrew Hintt, a man killed alongside his two sons in December 2021, is speaking out on TikTok to appeal for justice for her family.
Maddie Way has been bravely raising awareness about the deaths of her partner and two of her sons since their December 19 deaths in Belvidere, Illinois.
In a recent video, that has attracted over 1.3 million viewers, Way shared footage taken from her home's security camera of the last time her family entered their Illinois home, hours before they were killed.
However, having eyes on her family's case has not always been positive.
Way's videos have generated cruel backlash from viewers who accused her of showing no emotions about the traumatic event.
Andrew Hintt's fiance has been sharing details of the murders under #Justice4TheHintts on TikTok.
Way's fiance and two sons, Benjamin and Sebastian's murders remain unsolved but investigators are building a case against a man who was known to be with them at the time of the incident.
Alize Q. Smith was arrested in January in connection with the deaths of the 31-year-old father and his 7 and 5-year-old sons — all three were shot.
Maddie Way, who goes by @mrs.hintt2014 on TikTok, was not present at the time of the murders.
In videos shared to her TikTok profile earlier this year, Way explains that she and Hintt were living in California with their other children but visited Benjamin and Sebastian in Illinois, where they lived with her parents, regularly. Way and Hintt were in the process of fighting for custody of their two oldest children.
Way says Smith and Hintt traveled together to Illinois to take care of some personal matters related to their move to California and were spending time with her sons while there.
On the night of the murders, Way's parents had gone to her house to pick up the boys, however, Hintt wasn’t answering the door.
Way said that even after she tried to get hold of Hintt through the phone multiple times, there was no response.
After being unable to get hold of Hintt, her parents decided to go to the police. The mother then called her property manager to let the police into their home. Hintt and the two children were found dead in their home.
As Way was sharing her story on TikTok, she seems well composed and collected.
However, her reaction received a lot of backlash from people.
They are stating that after going through such a traumatic experience, the mother should be showing some emotion. People think that Way isn’t grieving enough.
One user said, “something is not right here...you are telling this with no emotion. if my kids were shot, i couldn't speak/tik tok.”
Another says, “Seems like you aren’t even concerned about your children!!”
Upon seeing the comments, Maddie Way posted another video in her defense.
Way posted a video with a quote saying not to judge a mother who is grieving. As she may seem calm on the outside, she might not be so collected on the inside.
Many people commented with support to the mother in this tough time and commended her for her strong attitude.
One sympathetic commentor wrote, “I am raising a child who's daddy passed away too. It's not easy. I'm sending you live, strength and healing vibes your way. Hugs.”
Needless to say, the mother did go through a traumatic experience. While people may not be able to see the grief in the video, it may be just a coping mechanism for her to pass through this hard time.
Sanika Nalgirkar, M.F.A. is a writer at YourTango who writes on entertainment & news, lifestyle, and pop culture topics.