Zion Rachelle Foster

• Missing Since 01/04/2022
• Missing From Eastpointe, Michigan
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race Black
• Date of Birth 11/20/2004 (20)
• Age 17 years old
• Height and Weight 5'1, 120 pounds
• Clothing/Jewelry Description Her Detroit Wing Company (DWC) uniform sweatshirt, black pants and black shoes.
• Medical Conditions Zion has been diagnosed with depression and anxiety and was taking a low dose of the antidepressant Prozac for those conditions starting in Octobe 2021. She also has asthma and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder. Zion has a history of seizures, and at the time of her disappearance she was recovering from a bout of covid.
• Distinguishing Characteristics African-American female. Brown hair, brown eyes. Zion's ears are pierced.

Details of Disappearance

Zion was last seen in the 22000 block of Melrose Court in Eastpointe, Michigan at 10:40 p.m. on January 4, 2022. She got into a white sedan with tinted windows. Zion later texted her mother her locaton, a home on Greenfield Road and Vassar Drive. She left behind all her clothes and other belongings and never returned home.

Within two weeks, police had a person of interest: Jaylin Brazier, who was a cousin of Zion's by marriage. A photo of him is posted with this case summary. He was the one who picked her up that day; they often spent time together and Zion said he was her favorite relative from that side of her family.

At 12:59 a.m. on January 5, Zion texted her mother to say she was on her way home. She never arrived and has never been heard from again. When her mother spoke to Brazier, he claimed he hadn't seen or been in contact with Zion "for three years", something Zion's mother knew to be untrue.

On January 24, Brazier was charged with one count of lying to a peace officer in a violent crime investigation and one count of lying to a peace officer in Zion's case. He told Zion's mother that they had been smoking marijuana together when Zion suddenly stopped breathing and died, and that he panicked and put her body in a dumpster. He also "helped" search for Zion after her disappearance was reported, even though he knew what had happened to her.

Brazier pleaded guilty to both counts, and at his sentencing he said he had no idea what caused Zion to die and that he acted as he did afterwards because he was under the influence. His defense asked for a sentence of probation, but he was sentenced to 23 months to four years in prison. He was released in January 2023, having served just ten months, after completing a 90-day "boot camp" type program while incarcerated; inmates are automatically paroled upon completion of the program.

Police spent the late spring, entire summer and early autumn of 2022 searching the Pine Tree Acres landfill in Macomb County, Michigan for Zion's remains. but were not able to find them. The search, which cost nearly a million dollars, ended in early October. In June 2023, Brazier was charged with first-degree murder in Zion's case.

At trial, his ex-girlfriend testified that he gave her a ride home from work during the early morning hours of January 5, and she noticed a large, deep, bloody scratch on his collarbone. Brazier told her that it was from her pet cat, but his ex-girlfriend said her cat had never scratched anyone that badly before.

Brazier's internet search history on his phone was brought up in court; the searches included ones about drugs and what could possibly kill a person and whether it was possible to charge a person with murder if the victim's body had not been found. Zion and Brazier's text messages to each other were also brought into evidence; her phone had over 4,000 messages between her and her cousin.

Many of the messages were sexually explicit, and the prosecution argued that Brazier groomed her for a sexual relationship. Authorities found multiple links to "cousin porn" on his phone. Brazier continued to insist that he did not kill Zion and had no idea what had caused her death.

His defense suggested she could have died of natural causes or that the marijuana she was smoking was laced with something that caused her death. However, a forensic pathologist who examined Zion's medical records found nothing in her medical history that could have caused her to suddenly die in the way Brazier described. The defense didn't call any witnesses and just argued the prosecution hadn't proved guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

In May 2024, after the jury deliberated for only half an hour, they convicted Brazier of second-degree murder in Zion's case. In June, he was sentenced to 43 to 100 years in prison.

Zion is the oldest of six children. She had run away from home before, but she would keep in communication with her family during that time; she always kept her family informed as to her whereabouts. Foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved.