Plus-Size Influencer and DEI Advocate Accused of Crashing Car With Her Children Inside

A body-positivity influencer who said she wanted to spend her life empowering young people in the United States allegedly attempted to kill her two daughters by deliberately crashing her vehicle on a freeway before stabbing them.

Janieka Ellington, 35, had begun gaining recognition as a plus-size activist after sharing her 60-pound weight-loss journey on TikTok, the Daily Mail can reveal.

As she urged followers to pursue their “dream body naturally,” without surgery or medication, Ellington was also working toward a career in criminal justice and public policy.

The diversity, equity and inclusion scholar graduated from Walden University last winter with a master’s degree in criminal justice. The school is known for its online degree programs.

She now faces attempted murder charges after police alleged that she intentionally crashed her Volkswagen Tiguan on Interstate 5 in Dupont, Washington, at about 9 a.m. PT on October 5.

According to charging documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Ellington then allegedly tried to stab both of her daughters. The attack reportedly ended only when two US Army soldiers witnessed the scene and intervened.

Investigators said Ellington blamed her actions on losing her job and struggling with mental health issues, according to the alleged would-be murder case.

The violent incident marks a dramatic fall for Ellington, who had recently turned her attention to academia and public service.

For her capstone thesis, Ellington examined what she called the “deep-seated roots of injustice embedded within the American criminal justice system.”

Her research and advocacy focused on public policy reforms aimed at dismantling structural barriers, tackling racial inequality and advancing restorative justice alongside public safety, according to her thesis and online academic profile.

In September, the first-generation master’s student commemorated the completion of her degree with a professional photoshoot in her cap and gown.

“I’m dedicated to empowering young people to break through their barriers and come out victorious,” she wrote on Facebook while sharing a highlight reel from the photoshoot.

She continued: “I didn’t grow up with a silver spoon, but I’m constantly pushing forward, never forgetting where I come from.”

Ellington could now face decades in prison over the violent incident on I-5 earlier this month, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The Washington State Patrol said her SUV first struck the left-side barrier, moved onto the right shoulder and then veered back across the roadway, where it hit a semi-truck in the middle lane.

Police said the vehicle continued toward the left, hit the concrete barrier again and overturned onto its passenger side before stopping.

Three good Samaritans ran to assist Ellington and her young daughters, who were identified in court documents only by their initials, AD and ZD.

The affidavit alleges that Ellington then produced a knife and chased her 15-year-old daughter, AD, around the area while shouting, “I’m going to kill you.”

The group of bystanders, which included two soldiers, and the teenager worked to disarm Ellington and held her on the ground until state troopers arrived, the affidavit said.

Ellington was charged with four counts of attempted murder, two counts of vehicular assault and felony harassment, according to Pierce County Corrections records. She has not yet entered a plea. 

The alleged assault came just three hours after the seemingly distressed mother had run out of gas on the side of the road, WSP body-worn camera footage obtained by KING 5 showed.

Ellington, who appeared to be crying in the footage, was seen standing next to her parked SUV just after 6am on October 5.

She allegedly told the officer that she had run out of fuel, so he went to a nearby gas station, filled a five-gallon gas container, and returned to put the fuel in her car.

At the time of her arrest, Ellington had been struggling with her mental health, a pretrial services screening and public safety assessment revealed. 

She told investigators during an in-custody interview that she had been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, the filing said. 

Investigators ran a check through the National Crime Information Center database and determined Ellington has a ‘criminal history in Tennessee,’ the assessment noted.

The filing went on to state that despite this history, she has no convictions. The Daily Mail ran an independent records search and failed to find any further details about her alleged criminal past in Tennessee.

MORE ON THIS: Potential Threat: Iran's Capability to Use EMPs and Possession of Dirty Bombs – NewsFinale

Instead, she appeared to be a pillar in her Memphis community and just four years ago was featured in a Canvas Rebel profile in connection to her media company, Memphis Visuals.

The company, which has not updated its social media platforms since 2023, offered photography, film and music video services across Memphis.

While in Tennessee, Ellington had also amassed a small following on TikTok as a body positivity influencer after losing 60 pounds in just two years.

‘As a plus size woman, I grew up bullied and shamed for my body,’ she told the magazine. ‘But as an adult, I found my confidence and pride in my curvy physique.’

Her TikTok account has since been deleted, but other social media profiles promoting body positivity remain active.

It is unclear exactly when or why Ellington moved her family to Washington, but her daughters told police they had been living with an uncle in the small town of Steilacoom.

Ellington represented the Palmer Scholars Green Stormwater Infrastructure program at the Tacoma Public Utilities Women in Trades Expo in January 2025, the workforce development initiative wrote in a Facebook post.

She and her cohort ‘loved connecting with so many driven young women exploring careers in the trade,’ Palmer Scholars said at the time.

However, she had been unemployed for about two months at the time of her arrest, according to the pretrial services screening and public safety assessment. 

Ellington told police how she recently lost two jobs and was stressed. She claimed that she was having difficulties managing her mental health and was concerned she was being followed, according to a WSP report obtained by KING 5.

The scholar also said she had considered traveling to Vancouver, Canada, in search of safety, the report said.

Police believe Ellington was under the influence of alcohol and having suicidal thoughts at the time of the crash, the probable cause affidavit said. 

Ellington allegedly smelled of booze, troopers said, and admitted that she had been drinking ‘whiskey straight’ the night before the crash, according to the filing. She also told police that ‘she never went to bed.’ 

AD recalled seeing her mother drinking late Sunday evening and claimed Ellington abruptly woke her and ZD in the middle of the night, the affidavit said.

Ellington rushed them into her SUV and they abruptly left their home, AD told investigators. She drove roughly three hours, before she turned around and headed home, the 15-year-old said.

Ellington’s younger daughter, ZD, told authorities that her mother believed she was being followed as she drove, according to the court filing.

The ten-year-old claimed the scholar also told them ‘they were all going to die’ before driving into the barrier, the affidavit said.

During their drive, Ellington said she would kill AD and ZD ‘before the people that were following them did,’ according to the affidavit.

AD told investigators she believed Ellington was ‘delusional,’ the affidavit said, and added that her mother had been ‘driving extremely erratic’ before the crash.

Ellington was arrested at the scene and taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation, the filing said.

She is currently being held in jail without bail as she awaits a mental health evaluation, according to a competency evaluation order obtained by the Daily Mail.

Both girls were also hospitalized after the crash, but are expected to recover from their injuries, according to the affidavit. 

AD broke her left ankle, while ZD was left with multiple broken bones, a spinal injury and stab wounds, the affidavit said.

The semi-truck driver was not injured during the incident, though the vehicle was damaged, state troopers said.

The crash remains under investigation. Ellington is next due in court on October 20.