MI ZION FOSTER: Missing from Eastpointe, MI - 4 Jan 2022 - Age 17 *J. Brazier GUILTY*

Eastpointe Teen Missing, Family Fears She's Abducted

She was last seen wearing her Detroit Wing Company uniform, a black sweatshirt, black pants and black shoes.

detroit.cbslocal.com

Eastpointe Teen Missing, Family Fears She’s Abducted​

Police are searching for a missing 17-year-old girl from Eastpointe.

“My baby has been abducted; my baby didn’t run away,” said Ciera Milton, Zion Foster’s mother.

Foster was last seen on Jan. 4, just after 10:40 pm, on the 22000 block of Melrose Court in Eastpointe.

“We just want Zion back,” Milton said.

“She Just Turned 17 in November.”

Home surveillance video from a neighbor shows the car the 17-year-old was picked-up in.

The vehicle appears to be a white sedan with dark tinted windows.

“She shares her location with us all, and nobody knows where my baby is at,” Milton said.


MEDIA - ZION FOSTER: Missing from Eastpointe, MI since 4 Jan 2022 - Age 17

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Family, crews prepare for landfill search for missing Eastpointe teen

Tuesday marks the beginning of a grueling weekslong landfill search for Zion Foster of Eastpointe who went missing in January.

www.wxyz.com

Family, crews prepare for landfill search for missing Eastpointe teen​

Tuesday marks the beginning of a grueling weekslong landfill search for Zion Foster of Eastpointe who went missing in January.

Police believe the 17-year-old's body is buried under mountains of garbage at a landfill in Lenox Township.

The search will be a massive undertaking and will involve around 70 people per day, working eight to nine hour days and could last six to eight weeks.

Ciera Milton, Zion's mother, told 7 Action News, “We don’t know if it’ll be the first day (that they find Zion), second day, the first few weeks or if it’ll ever happen.”

She's grateful for an imminent search for her daughter, but Milton said the two-and-a-half week wait since the search announcement has been emotionally taxing on her children.

“They’re really starting to come to grips with this situation, and so I see the breakdown," she explained. "I see the emotional turmoil that they’re experiencing at this moment, and they know that it’s supposed to be tomorrow. So it’s been a lot of sleepless nights."

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Detroit police: Item found amid landfill search for Zion Foster shows promise

Authorities announced Friday that the search for the body of 17-year-old Zion Foster at a landfill in Lenox Township has led to the discovery of a piece of mail that indicates police are looking in the right area.

www.clickondetroit.com

Detroit police: Item found amid landfill search for Zion Foster shows promise​

Authorities announced Friday that the search for the body of 17-year-old Zion Foster at a landfill in Lenox Township has led to the discovery of a piece of mail that indicates police are looking in the right area.

Those searching discovered a piece of mail from Detroit that is from a date range that lines up with when Foster went missing, indicating that the investigation is on the right track and taking place in the right area, officials said Friday.


Officials previously said the search could last as long as seven to eight weeks. The area of the landfill has not been disturbed since police requested the waste management team to preserve it, officials said.

Detroit police said that phase one of the search will take about one week, and the second phase is expected to begin on June 15. During the second phase, materials found in the area will be more closely examined, officials said.

“We’re not gonna stop looking for her. We’re gonna do everything we can,” said Detroit police Chief James White. “I don’t know the outcome, but I do know the effort. And the effort will be there, and we hope for the best.”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Detroit police to sift through debris for evidence in landfill search for Zion Foster’s remains

Detroit police are expected to start phase two of a massive search of a Lenox Township landfill to find missing Eastpointe teen Zion Foster.

www.clickondetroit.com

Detroit police to sift through debris for evidence in landfill search for Zion Foster’s remains​

Detroit police are expected to start phase two of a massive search of a Lenox Township landfill to find missing Eastpointe teen Zion Foster.

The search began on May 31, phase two is expected to start on June 15. Around 70 people are expected to be assisting in the search each day.

During phase two, searchers will remove sections of the search area and place them onto two 50′x50′ search decks. Searchers will look through the debris for evidence.

When the debris is cleared, it will be removed. Then another section of the area will be placed onto the decks to be searched. Police expect phase two to last around five days.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

'They’re just dedicated.' Volunteers battle extreme heat in landfill search for Zion Foster

Tomorrow, week two of Phase 2 in the search for Zion Foster begins. The 17-year-old disappeared in January; her cousin claims to have dumped her body.

www.wxyz.com

'They’re just dedicated.' Volunteers battle extreme heat in landfill search for Zion Foster​

Tomorrow, week two of Phase 2 in the search for Zion Foster begins. The 17-year-old disappeared in January; her cousin claims to have dumped her body.

Volunteers are preparing for multiple days of 90-plus degree temperatures.

One volunteer calls the landfill search a "strenuous activity" that he is glad to part of. Tuesday was reportedly a maintenance day with the searching taking place from Wednesday to Sunday.

Detroit Police Department Commander Michael McGinnis says he was up at the landfill searching last week, including Wednesday, when there was about 105 degree index.

A hot one, especially with all of that PPE they wear, from HAZMAT suits, and two layers of gloves that are duck-taped to the suit. The boots are duck-taped as well, keeping any particles out.

He says volunteers search for about 20 minutes and then a break.

"The task force commander is very engaged with the temperature and the heat index. And if it’s going to be too hot, we’ll call the operation for the day. We don’t want anyone to get injured. One of the real benefits that we had up there and it’s up there still was there’s two vans, prisoners' vans. Vans that have air conditioning. So when we take these breaks, the searchers have the ability to go get in the van and cool off with air conditioning for that 10 or usually about 5 to 10 minutes is all you need. And you kind of rotate out. So that’s one way, but they’re just dedicated ... just dedicated. I can't be thankful enough for 'em,'" said Commander McGinnis.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2022/07/22/crews-scour-macomb-landfill-eastpointe-teen-remains/10057257002/

Crews scour landfill for Eastpointe teen's remains: 'Somebody has to do it'​

As Detroit Police Detective Darrell Dawson gears up for another dirty, exhausting shift of raking through trash, he's motivated by a desire to bring peace to the grieving family of a slain teenager.

"I do not want this to be her final resting place," he said, squinting across 29 Mile at the mountain of garbage where police say the remains of 17-year-old Zion Foster are buried.

"I'm thinking about birthdays, and the family has to come out here on the side of the road (to visit Zion's grave in the Pine Tree Acres Landfill)," Dawson said. "No — she needs to be where she belongs, and that's with her family, so they can give her a proper burial."

Dawson is part of a crew of Detroit cops that has sifted through hundreds of truckloads of trash since the search for the girl's remains, dubbed Operation Zion, began nine weeks ago. Police say Zion was killed in January and her body entombed in a dumpster that was emptied in the sprawling Lenox Township landfill.

The searchers say they're confident they're getting close to finding Zion's remains, but they know they're working against time and budget considerations.

The operation has cost more than $150,000, and Detroit police Chief James White said he plans to meet with his executive team in the next two weeks "to determine the next steps in Operation Zion."

"We have not determined an end date at this time," White said. "However, due to many factors, it would be impossible to keep digging indefinitely."

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Zion Foster search: Detroit police chief says he's dreading decision as landfill search continues

It's been more than 8 weeks since the search for Zion Foster's remains started in a Macomb County landfill and, on Monday, Detroit Police Chief James White said he's dreading a decision regarding ending the search.

www.fox2detroit.com

Zion Foster search: Detroit police chief says he's dreading decision as landfill search continues​

The search for Zion Foster's remains in a Macomb County landfill is in its third month and, with every inch that Detroit Police dig, the hopes of finding the remains of the 17-year-old are dimming. On Monday, Detroit Police Chief James White admitted that he's dreading having to make an incredibly difficult decision about the search.

White said during a press conference on Monday that the Detroit Police Officers who volunteered to search through the landfill have worked hard through the summer.

"Our dedicated men and women have volunteered to dig out a dump site for a young child," White said. "The reality of it is - is that it's been several weeks, one of the hottest summers in years."

The search was expected to take 6 to 8 weeks and started on May 31. The search is in its 9th week and White said he'll have to make a very tough decision about continuing the search.

"I have to make a decision based on what we're seeing in the likelihood of a real recovery and the risks to our officers in a couple of days," White said. "(It's) a decision I dread, but I have to make a really tough decision. I'm going to do that but I'm going to do it with the parents in mind with the sensitivity that's necessary to deliver such a message to a parent."

White did not offer a timeline for when that conversation or the announcement would happen.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Detroit police want to extend landfill search for Zion Foster; donations needed to continue

The search continues to find Zion Foster, the 17-year-old girl who vanished back in January. Detroit police believe her body was placed in a dumpster and ended up in a Macomb County landfill.

www.wxyz.com

Detroit police want to extend landfill search for Zion Foster; donations needed to continue​

The search continues to find Zion Foster, the 17-year-old girl who vanished back in January. Detroit police believe her body was placed in a dumpster and ended up in a Macomb County landfill.

Police say they want to extend their search for Zion until September 18. There’s also added cost they hope can be covered with donations.

Detroit police say they have spent more than $150,000 for the efforts. Heavy equipment rental, PPE and water, are among the essential items needed to keep working at Pine Tree Acres Landfill in Lennox Twp.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Zion Foster’s family waits for answers as search of Macomb County landfill continues

Officials are still searching a landfill in Macomb County for the remains of Zion Foster as her family waits for answers on her disappearance.

www.clickondetroit.com

Zion Foster’s family waits for answers as search of Macomb County landfill continues​

Officials are still searching a landfill in Macomb County for the remains of Zion Foster as her family waits for answers on her disappearance.

There have been different phases in searching the 100x100 foot area, and officials state that police have dug between 25 to 28 feet.

The landfill search was supposed to last eight weeks as officials started the search at the end of May, but no remains have been found.

“I don’t know if she is there,” said Foster’s mom Ciera Milton. Milton told Local 4 that by now, something would have been uncovered.

“I’m looking at her siblings, my younger children. And I’m like, ‘they need me,’” said Milton. “So I can’t just fly off the handle. I can’t just lose it even though I absolutely want to.”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Landfill search for 17-year-old girl's body extended

Detroit police have been searching for Zion Foster's body in a Lenox Township landfill since May. The search now has been extended it until Oct. 2

www.detroitnews.com

Landfill search for 17-year-old girl's body extended​

The search for the body of a 17-year-old Eastpointe girl in a mountainous Metro Detroit landfill has been extended again and will continue for at least another two weeks as Detroit police officials look for the deceased teen.

The search, which is staffed by employees from Detroit's police, fire and public works departments who volunteer for the overtime details, was scheduled to end Monday, after the effort had been extended for a month in early August.

But Assistant Police Chief Charles Fitzgerald on Sunday issued a memo announcing: "Operation Zion has been extended two more weeks."

"The team is getting close to finishing the cell they've been digging in for the past four months," Fitzgerald wrote.

The tentative end date for the detail now is Oct. 2, Fitzgerald said.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Landfill search to find Zion Foster ends, mother says she's fighting for closure

After a grueling inspection through a 100 by-100-foot landfill, Operation Justice For Zion has come to a close.

www.cbsnews.com

BY CRYSS WALKER
OCTOBER 13, 2022 / 5:52 PM / CW50 DETROIT

(CBS DETROIT) - Cierra Milton says living without closure is unbearable.

It's been 10 months since her daughter Zion Foster vanished after leaving her Eastpointe home with her cousin Jaylin Brazier.

"There is nothing comparable to this," Milton said.

"It's a pain you can not describe and it's there when you wake up, when you go to sleep. It hits when I'm hungry or I'm thirsty and I'm mad because how dare I be hungry or thirsty when my baby's there?"

On May 31st, Detroit Police launched a massive search with local and federal law enforcement agencies at Pine Tree Acres Landfill in Lenox Township.

After a grueling inspection through a 100 by 100-foot landfill, Operation Justice For Zion has come to a close.

The hunt to the 17-year-old's remains came five months following Brazier's confession to dumping her body.

Initially, the investigation was projected to take 6-8 weeks, but community donations extended it through October 2nd.

"And I beat myself up every day because I said, 'yes you can go,' and I know that I didn't do anything to her but it does not take away from the fact that I feel like I gave him permission to do what he did," Milton told Detroit Now's Cryss Walker.

The 23-year-old told investigators he panicked when Foster went unresponsive January 4th while they were hanging out and smoking marijuana.

Detroit Now was there for the first community search held January 17th at Brazier's home on Greenfield and Vassar on Detroit's west side.

Brazier is now serving four-years in prison for lying to officers in connection to her disappearance.

"I don't know if it would have been any different if it were another means of you know, passing away," Milton said.

"Sickness, ailments, you know, but I think that this is the worst."

Detroit Police is expected to hold a press conference next week to announce the conclusion of their findings.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Landfill search to find Zion Foster ends, mother says she's fighting for closure

After a grueling inspection through a 100 by-100-foot landfill, Operation Justice For Zion has come to a close.

www.cbsnews.com

BY CRYSS WALKER
OCTOBER 13, 2022 / 5:52 PM / CW50 DETROIT

(CBS DETROIT) - Cierra Milton says living without closure is unbearable.

It's been 10 months since her daughter Zion Foster vanished after leaving her Eastpointe home with her cousin Jaylin Brazier.

"There is nothing comparable to this," Milton said.

"It's a pain you can not describe and it's there when you wake up, when you go to sleep. It hits when I'm hungry or I'm thirsty and I'm mad because how dare I be hungry or thirsty when my baby's there?"

On May 31st, Detroit Police launched a massive search with local and federal law enforcement agencies at Pine Tree Acres Landfill in Lenox Township.

After a grueling inspection through a 100 by 100-foot landfill, Operation Justice For Zion has come to a close.

The hunt to the 17-year-old's remains came five months following Brazier's confession to dumping her body.

Initially, the investigation was projected to take 6-8 weeks, but community donations extended it through October 2nd.

"And I beat myself up every day because I said, 'yes you can go,' and I know that I didn't do anything to her but it does not take away from the fact that I feel like I gave him permission to do what he did," Milton told Detroit Now's Cryss Walker.

The 23-year-old told investigators he panicked when Foster went unresponsive January 4th while they were hanging out and smoking marijuana.

Detroit Now was there for the first community search held January 17th at Brazier's home on Greenfield and Vassar on Detroit's west side.

Brazier is now serving four-years in prison for lying to officers in connection to her disappearance.

"I don't know if it would have been any different if it were another means of you know, passing away," Milton said.

"Sickness, ailments, you know, but I think that this is the worst."

Detroit Police is expected to hold a press conference next week to announce the conclusion of their findings.

I was very hopeful they would find her. My heart goes out to not only her family, but to those dedicated searchers who were trying their absolute hardest to bring her home.

 

[GrandmaBear]

There really is only his word for it as to how she died or that she is at the landfill. I personally wouldn't trust it although they had to look. He only got four years with this story and giving a location. Not so sure all of it or any of it is the truth.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Cousin of Eastpointe teen Zion Foster released from prison

A man who was sentenced for lying to police in the missing person case of Zion Foster has been released from prison.

www.cbsnews.com

BY DEJANAY BOOTH
JANUARY 17, 2023 / 4:29 PM / CBS DETROIT

(CBS DETROIT) - A man who was sentenced for lying to police in the missing person case of 17-year-old Zion Foster has been released from prison after nearly 10 months.

Officials say Jaylin Brazier, 24, who is Zion's cousin, lied to officers during the investigation, but later admitted to dumping her body when the teen allegedly became unresponsive while they were hanging out and smoking marijuana.

He was convicted in February 2022 and sentenced to up to four years after pleading no contest. State officials say Brazier is now on parole following his release.

Zion was last seen on Jan. 4, 2022. On May 31, Detroit police launched a massive search with local and federal law enforcement agencies at Pine Tree Acres Landfill in Lenox Township, five months after Brazier's confession.

In October, the Detroit Police Department suspended the search for Zion, with no success in finding her.

 

[Mel70]

Police question cousin of 17-year-old Eastpointe girl who has been missing for more than 2 weeks

There have been multiple new developments in the disappearance of a 17-year-old from Eastpointe.

www.clickondetroit.com

Police question cousin of 17-year-old Eastpointe girl who has been missing for more than 2 weeks​

There have been multiple new developments in the disappearance of a 17-year-old from Eastpointe.

Zion Rachelle Foster was last seen on Jan. 4 at her home in the 22000 block of Melrose Court in Eastpointe, according to authorities.

A person of interest in the case, Foster’s 21-year-old cousin, turned himself in to police Wednesday (Jan. 19) night.

Zion Foster is still missing. She is 5 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 120 pounds, officials said. She was last seen wearing her Detroit Wing Company uniform, they said.

A private investigator has stepped in and is offering up new clues in the case.

Milton said she has been living a nightmare since her daughter went missing. Foster left her home with her 21-year-old cousin that night.

Milton said she asked the cousin several times where her daughter is. She said he won’t tell her.

A private investigator out of Chicago who specializes in human trafficking contacted the Local 4 Defenders with photos of the cousin’s Acura on Jan. 10 in Detroit and Hazel Park. Then the car was spotted on Jan. 13 in Waterford but there were no photos of Foster in the car.

Detroit police said they have recovered that car and are very concerned about Foster.

It's good to see you @GarAndMo39. I haven’t seen you here in a long time. I was worried because it had been so long.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Mom 'livid' after key figure in teen's death gets parole

DETROIT (AP) — A man who told police that he placed a teenager's body in a trash bin, a disclosure that led to an extraordinary but unsuccessful search of a suburban Detroit landfill, has been released from prison after less than a year.

apnews.com

an hour ago

DETROIT (AP) — A man who told police that he placed a teenager’s body in a trash bin, a disclosure that led to an extraordinary but unsuccessful search of a suburban Detroit landfill, has been released from prison after less than a year.

“I’m livid. I’m absolutely livid,” said Cierra Milton, the mother of Zion Foster of Eastpointe, who was 17 when she disappeared a year ago.

Jaylin Brazier was sentenced to at least 23 months in prison in 2022 for lying to police during the investigation. Police believe Zion was the victim of a homicide, but no one has been charged in her death.

Brazier, 24, was released on parole this week. His last stop in the prison system was a special 90-day program that “focuses on changing negative behavior into socially acceptable behavior,” according to the Corrections Department website.

“The judge has to sign off for the prisoner to take part in it,” spokesman Chris Gautz told The Detroit News. “The state law governing the program says that successful completion results in an automatic parole.”

Milton said she wasn’t aware of any changes in Brazier’s original sentence.

“He didn’t even get the 23 months” behind bars, she said.

 

[Mel70]

Cousin of Eastpointe teen Zion Foster released from prison

A man who was sentenced for lying to police in the missing person case of Zion Foster has been released from prison.

www.cbsnews.com

BY DEJANAY BOOTH
JANUARY 17, 2023 / 4:29 PM / CBS DETROIT

(CBS DETROIT) - A man who was sentenced for lying to police in the missing person case of 17-year-old Zion Foster has been released from prison after nearly 10 months.

Officials say Jaylin Brazier, 24, who is Zion's cousin, lied to officers during the investigation, but later admitted to dumping her body when the teen allegedly became unresponsive while they were hanging out and smoking marijuana.

He was convicted in February 2022 and sentenced to up to four years after pleading no contest. State officials say Brazier is now on parole following his release.

Zion was last seen on Jan. 4, 2022. On May 31, Detroit police launched a massive search with local and federal law enforcement agencies at Pine Tree Acres Landfill in Lenox Township, five months after Brazier's confession.

In October, the Detroit Police Department suspended the search for Zion, with no success in finding her.

10 MONTHS?!!! For killing anyone much less your cousin. WTF?! Oh no. Sorry. She just died when you were hanging out smoking marijuana. Riiiggght. Moron. Next he'll say she O.D.'d on marijuana. Which is impossible. I wish he would. DUH.Ripped the family in two. Her side got no justice with 10 months. It's an insult. Her poor family.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Cousin charged with murder of missing Eastpointe teen Zion Foster

Jaylin Brazier, 23, has been charged in connection with the murder of Zion Foster.

www.detroitnews.com

Kara Berg
The Detroit News
June 13, 2023

The cousin of a 17-year-old missing Eastpointe girl has been charged with murder in connection with the teen's death, prosecutors say.

Zion Foster, 17, has been missing since January 2022, though police have said they believe her to be dead. Her body has never been found, despite hours of searching a Macomb County landfill where police thought her body might be.

Zion's cousin, Jaylin Brazier, 24, was arrested Tuesday in connection with her death. Police had first submitted a warrant request seeking murder charges in January 2022, but it was returned to them by prosecutors for more investigation.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

New clues revealed during preliminary hearing in murder of Eastpointe teen Zion Foster

It was a significant day Tuesday in the case of the murder of Eastpointe teen Zion Foster as her cousin Jaylin Brazier appeared in court for a preliminary hearing.

www.clickondetroit.com

New clues revealed during preliminary hearing in murder of Eastpointe teen Zion Foster​

It was a significant day Tuesday in the case of the murder of Eastpointe teen Zion Foster as her cousin Jaylin Brazier appeared in court for a preliminary hearing.

Then on June 14, 2023, Brazier was charged with her murder. During his court appearance, he was seen sitting quietly and mild-mannered.

But his voice loomed large as prosecutors showed police body camera footage of Braizer in the early hours of Foster’s disappearance.

Police arrived at his home searching for his cousin because police traced her phone directly to that location.

Brazier could be heard trying to joke with the officers as he and his mother suggested that Foster was likely with a boyfriend more than once.

Brazier later told police that she was with him, and the two had been smoking marijuana together when she suddenly died, causing him to panic before he threw her body in a dumpster.

Months later, DPD moved to search a landfill for Foster, but nothing was uncovered.

In those early hours with Foster being gone, he told police he was not with his cousin.

Brazier has not been convicted of anything but has been charged with the murder of his cousin.

 

[GrandmaBear]

New clues revealed during preliminary hearing in murder of Eastpointe teen Zion Foster

It was a significant day Tuesday in the case of the murder of Eastpointe teen Zion Foster as her cousin Jaylin Brazier appeared in court for a preliminary hearing.

www.clickondetroit.com

New clues revealed during preliminary hearing in murder of Eastpointe teen Zion Foster​

It was a significant day Tuesday in the case of the murder of Eastpointe teen Zion Foster as her cousin Jaylin Brazier appeared in court for a preliminary hearing.

Then on June 14, 2023, Brazier was charged with her murder. During his court appearance, he was seen sitting quietly and mild-mannered.

But his voice loomed large as prosecutors showed police body camera footage of Braizer in the early hours of Foster’s disappearance.

Police arrived at his home searching for his cousin because police traced her phone directly to that location.

Brazier could be heard trying to joke with the officers as he and his mother suggested that Foster was likely with a boyfriend more than once.

Brazier later told police that she was with him, and the two had been smoking marijuana together when she suddenly died, causing him to panic before he threw her body in a dumpster.

Months later, DPD moved to search a landfill for Foster, but nothing was uncovered.

In those early hours with Foster being gone, he told police he was not with his cousin.

Brazier has not been convicted of anything but has been charged with the murder of his cousin.

The entire story comes from him here. The perp.

A big hint, his going on about her being "with" a boyfriend more than once and his mother suggesting it too.

It hasn't been said but throughout this case what is the most likely?

That he raped and killed his cousin.

Sounds like we also have a mother (his) who I wouldn't trust as far as one could throw her.

Another little evil POS. A piece of crud. Excrement.

Uhm he wasn't with his cousin he says. Oh then he was. Oh police traced her phone right to his house where his mom apparently was also present. So guessing he lived with mommy and had Zion's phone with him there or it all happened there with mommy in the home as well.

It's pretty much all a "he said" and "they said" as she isn't here to defend herself. And they malign her. So very novel.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Detroit cop: Search for Zion Foster remains not ‘a wild goose chase’

Jones said police acted on his statements and investigated and worked with officials at Waste Management, which owned the bin and transported the trash to Pine Tree, in determining where Zion’s rem…

www.macombdaily.com

Detroit cop: Search for Zion Foster remains not ‘a wild goose chase’​

The Detroit police sergeant who led the search for Zion Foster’s remains said this week the pursuit was not a “wild goose chase” as suggested by a Detroit judge.

Sgt. Shannon Jones testified Wednesday at the preliminary examination for Jaylin Brazier, who is accused of killing Zion, she is certain Foster’s remains were in Pine Tree Acres in Lenox Township despite the team of searchers failing to find them over five months.

Judge Kenneth King of 36th District Court added a question at the end of her session on the witness stand.

“How confident are you that you weren’t sent on some kind of wild goose chase because I think we all agree from the onset the defendant wasn’t exactly honest with you in terms of what happened” King said. “If he did in fact kill this young lady, (Brazier thought) ‘I don’t want you to find that body because it’s going to show evidence of how she died,’ correct? How confident are you that she was dumped in this garbage bin and then taken to this landfill?”

Jones responded: “We did enough research to not be on a wild goose chase to spend five months searching through trash for somebody’s child.”



Verifying his statements, Jones pointed to a video showing a vehicle matching the description of Brazier’s white or off-white 2005 Acura pulling up to the trash bin near Woodward Avenue and Davison freeway at 2:03 am. Jan. 5, 2022.

“You see somebody go to the trunk, and then go to the dumpster,” she said.

King at that point had not yet seen the video and asked if the person, presumed to be Brazier, could have put “something else,” into the dumpster, such as clothes, and not Foster’s body.

Jones said the video shows the person in the video in a “heaving type motion,” but said she could not determine whether the body was in a bag.

“We then continued to watch to make sure that nobody came back to take something out of the dumpster,” she said, adding she confirmed about five hours later, at 7:09 a.m. Jan. 5, a Waste Management truck picked up the contents of the bin.

Nearly two hours later, at 9:03 a.m., the truck arrived at a Waste Management transfer station between Russell Street and East Grand Boulevard in Detroit, according to Jones. Less than two hours later, at 10:37 a.m., the semi-truck dropped off the contents to Pine Tree Acres. Jones said she later discovered the truck that carried the trash to Pine Tree was equipped with GPS so officials could pinpoint which trash was dumped into one of two “cells” at Pine Tree.

“I know where they’re dumped,” she told Brazier’s attorney, Brian Brown. “The trucks come in and then they push that trash into the cells. I can tell you definitely where that truck dumped her body onto the ground, but once it hit the ground I cannot tell you what truck may have pushed her around, or where she ended up, her final resting place.