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'Media Maven' Gives Voice To LI's Missing: 'I Just Do It Out Of Heart'

Tiana Heath is turning heartbreak into hope.

Armed with a degree in television and radio from Brooklyn College, the Long Island native, 30, has devoted herself to giving voice to Nassau and Suffolk counties’ voiceless through her budding YouTube series, “Missing on Long Island.”

“I was inspired by a show called ‘Disappeared’ on Investigation Discovery. And six years ago, I was like, I want to have a show just dedicated to missing people on Long Island, because nobody is doing that,” Heath told Daily Voice. “I was like, you know what? Let me create that show.”

So, in 2019 she and partner Anthony Delpiano did just that. Their first episode tackled the mystery of 21-year-old Sofia McKenna, who disappeared alongside her friend, Spencer Mugford, while boating near the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point campus over Memorial Day weekend 2018.

Tiana Heath.

Tiana Heath

Mugford, 20, was found dead by a boater weeks later, nearly two miles south of Avery Point. It was determined that he had drowned. McKenna was never found.

“That [episode] garnered a quarter of a million views on YouTube,” Heath said. “The preparation for it was a lot, and it blew up. I was like, woah, we are doing something here.”

Heath and Delpiano each lend their respective talents to the series: she handles the interviews and shoots the video, while he edits the footage into a compelling and impactful narrative.

Together, they collaborate with family members, local police, and advocacy groups in an effort to paint a comprehensive and authentic portrayal of each case. 

From conception to upload, each video takes about three months to complete.

Heath meets with families wherever they’re most comfortable, including at restaurants. Some are apprehensive about going on camera, like Diana, whose son, Isaiah Henriquez, was found dead in a wooded area along the Southern State Parkway in Islip in July 2023.

“You know, it was just so hard to get the mom on camera because, you know, her son is her only son,” Heath said. “So I have to build a rapport, and that's why families trusting a person with empathy and a police officer are two different things.”

Henriquez’ case remains unsolved.

A self-proclaimed “media maven,” Heath’s talents extend beyond producing. Since 2012, she’s also hosted “Tee Talk” on her YouTube channel, TTU Network, where she’s interviewed a number of distinguished guests, including R&B star Bobby V and rapper Twista.

Her production is self-funded, with cameras, microphones, and lighting equipment all purchased out of pocket.

“Nobody has donated to the show. I've never asked for money for the show, I never asked for donations. I don't do that,” she said. “I just do it out of, literally, heart.”

You can view the latest episode of “Missing on Long Island” on the TTU Network YouTube channel, and follow Heath on Instagram.

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