TikTok brings new eyes to Baby Brianna story 20 years later

Justin Garcia, Las Cruces Sun-News

LAS CRUCES - On what would have been Brianna Lopez's 20th birthday, the story of her brief life is reaching new audiences.

Lopez, who is known by the community as Baby Brianna, was born Feb. 14, 2002 in Las Cruces. She was killed five months later after abuse inflicted by family members.

Over the last year, the story of Lopez's horrific death has been the centerpiece of dozens of TikTok videos.TikTok is a fast-growing social media platform with more than 1 billion users worldwide. TikTok users upload and share short videos.

Videos recollecting the gruesome details in the Baby Brianna case, utilizing mugshots and pictures of Lopez's body have garnered hundreds of thousands of views. The TikToks, some of which are inaccurate and show pictures of babies who may not Lopez, is the latest development in Lopez's story.

Brianna died July 19, 2002. Court testimony indicates her death came after a night of being thrown around and raped by her father, Andy Walters, and her uncle, Steven Lopez. Prosecutors maintain Brianna's mother, Stephanie Lopez, was aware of the abuse and did nothing to stop it.

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