Photo: TikTok
By Sanika Nalgirkar — Written on Jan 28, 2022
A mother of five posted videos on TikTok about the murder of two of her sons and her fiance. However, she got a lot of backlash from people for not showing any emotions.
Maddie Way's fiancee, Andrew Hintt and her two sons, Benjamin and Sebastian were murdered right before the holidays in Illinois. The police have arrested a man, Alize Q. Smith who was known to be with them at the time of the incident.
Way and her fiance had five children, however, Sebastian and Benjamin lived with relatives. However, the parents met their kids regularly.
The couple had decided to move states and at the time of the incident, the mother was in California. Her fiancee had flown back to Illinois to take care of a few things.
Andrew Hintt's fiance opened up about the night he and her children were murdered.
Way explains in her video that Smith was with her fiance when he flew to Illinois. She further explains that Smith was her fiance’s acquaintance. However, she doesn’t know what motive anyone could have had for the murders.
On the night it happened, Way's parents had gone to her house to pick the boys, however, Andrew 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.
People are bashing the mother in the comments for not being sad.
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.
While she turned off the comments in the videos where she is talking about the incident, a few comments can be seen in another video she posted of her son.
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.
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Sanika Nalgirkar, M.F.A. is a writer and an Editorial Intern at YourTango who writes on entertainment & news, lifestyle, and pop culture topics.