An Oklahoma man was arrested after he allegedly hit his mother while driving her car when she tracked down the vehicle using a hidden AirTag.
John Tiffin was charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of his mother, Karen Curthoys. Tiffin, 31, was also charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and reckless driving and obstructing an officer.
The Tulsa Police Department said in a Thursday, November 12, press release that the incident began in September when Tiffin borrowed his mother’s car. Conflict evolved when he refused to give it back to Curthoys, 69, after weeks of having the vehicle despite “the expectation that he’d give it back.”
Authorities said that Curthoys and one of her other children eventually managed to track the car down by using an AirTag that had been hidden in the collar of the victim’s dog, who was with Tiffin at the time of the incident, according to court documents obtained by KTUL.
Curthoys and the other child tracked the vehicle to a residence on October 8, where they found the car parked in a driveway. The duo then got out of the car to try to get the vehicle back from Tiffin.
“The victim stood in the driveway between the car she arrived in and the car Tiffin hadn’t returned,” police said in the press release. “Tiffin and his boyfriend were in the car, and the brother opened the car door to confront them. An altercation occurred, and Tiffin shifted the car into reverse and hit the gas pedal, hitting his brother with the open door and pinning his mother between the two cars.”
After she was hit, Curthoys was taken to a hospital. She died from her injuries on October 12.
Detectives conducted a nearly monthlong investigation before an arrest warrant was issued on Tuesday, November 10, for Tiffin’s arrest.
Authorities reported to the home where Curthoys was hit, and “officers began searching the house, warning Tiffin the K-9 would bite him if he didn’t come out.”
“After getting no answer, the K-9 located Tiffin in a bedroom. Tiffin was holding two knives and trying to cut at his own neck when Officers found him,” police said. “After several commands, he dropped the knives, and Officers took him to the hospital to be cleared for jail.”
Tiffin is currently in custody at the Tulsa County Jail and is being held on a $550,500 bond.
It’s not currently clear whether Tiffin has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. The investigation into the case remains ongoing.
