The Heartbreaking Death of Zion Foster: Her Cousin's Home Was Her Last Known Location Before Her Disappearance and Tragic End

In this heartbreaking story, a family’s trust was shattered, leading to the devastating loss of a young life.

Seventeen-year-old Zion Foster was just a typical teenager navigating the ups and downs of life. 

Her last text message read, "OMW," meaning she was on her way home, but Zion never made it. 

What began as a missing person case quickly spiraled into a dark and disturbing story involving her own family. 

Zion Foster

A Trust Broken: The Night Zion Never Returned

Zion Foster was a senior at East Detroit High School.

She lived with her mother, Sierra Milton, and her younger siblings. 

The teenager had just celebrated her 17th birthday in November 2021 and, like many her age, had a strong desire for independence.

Zion had gone through her own rebellious phases, including running away from home twice in 2020.

Each time, she stayed at her grandmother’s house before eventually going back home.

Despite these episodes, Zion was a beloved daughter and sister, deeply cherished by her family.

Zion was particularly close to her cousin, Jaylin Brazier, a 23-year-old father of two. 

They often spent time together, with Zion visiting his home at least twice a month. 

On the night of January 4, 2022, after her shift at the Detroit Wing Company, Zion asked her mother if she could go hang out with Jaylin.

Sierra agreed, trusting that Zion would be safe with her cousin. 

However, this time, Zion didn’t return home, and what followed was a nightmare no family should ever endure.

Jaylin Brazier

Unraveling Jaylin's Deception

The next day, Zion’s boyfriend, Vertez Gonzalez, contacted Sierra to ask about Zion.

He was worried that he hadn’t heard from Zion since midnight. 

The last message he received from her was at 12:59 AM, saying she was on her way home. 

But Zion never arrived, and all calls to her phone went straight to voicemail. 

Growing increasingly concerned, Sierra reached out to Jaylin but received a shocking response.

Jaylin claimed he hadn’t seen or spoken to Zion in years. 

This statement was in direct contradiction to what Zion had told her mother the night before.

Jaylen insisted that Zion hadn’t been at his house.

He even suggested that Zion might have been using him as a cover story to visit someone else nearby, since she had run away twice before.

Additionally, he provided ring camera footage, which he claimed proved Zion had never been at his house.

However, Zion’s boyfriend, Vertez, wasn’t convinced and kept pressing Jaylen for answers about Zion’s whereabouts.

Jaylin maintained his innocence.

He repeated that he had nothing to do with Zion’s disappearance and advised Sierra to contact the police.

Despite Jaylen’s insistence that he hadn’t seen Zion, location data from her phone showed otherwise.

It showed that she had been just across the street from Jaylen’s house at 11:24 PM the night she disappeared.

Surveillance footage from a neighbor’s doorbell camera would later confirm that Zion had indeed entered Jaylin’s home that night.

However, she was never seen leaving Jaylin's Apartment. 

Zion Foster

Investigation: The Dumpster Revelation: Where Is Zion?

When Sierra reported Zion missing to the Eastpoint Police, they were initially dismissive.

They labeled her as a potential runaway due to her past behavior. 

Frustrated with the lack of urgency from law enforcement, Sierra took matters into her own hands.

She organized searches, posted flyers, and rallied community support to find her daughter.

However, no clues about Zion were found despite the community's collective efforts.

Meanwhile, detectives eventually visited Jaylin’s home to question him and search the premises. 

Jaylin maintained that he hadn’t seen Zion and expressed frustration over being dragged into the situation. 

Despite his claims, the police continued to dig deeper. 

The neighbor’s surveillance footage and phone location data painted a different picture—Zion had been at Jaylin’s house and never left.

The turning point in the investigation came when cadaver dogs were brought in to search Jaylin’s car. 

The dogs indicated the presence of human remains in the trunk, raising more questions about what had happened to Zion. 

It wasn’t long before Jaylen voluntarily met with detectives to share what he claimed was the truth.

Jaylin Brazier in court

Jaylin admitted that Zion had been at his house that night. 

He told detectives that they had smoked marijuana together, and Zion had fallen asleep on the couch. 

According to Jaylin, when he checked on her later, she was unresponsive, her breathing was faint, and her pulse was weak.

He claimed that he panicked, thinking Zion had died, and feared that he would be blamed.

In a state of panic, he placed Zion’s body in the trunk of his car and drove to Highland Park.

Once he was there, he disposed of her body in a dumpster.

In a moment that highlighted the tragedy of the situation, Jaylen led detectives to the dumpster where he claimed to have left Zion’s body.

However, by the time police arrived, Zion’s body was no longer there. 

You can watch the chilling moment below when he took the officers to the dumpster.

 

Investigators continued to gather evidence to build a strong case against Jaylen.

Further examination of Jaylen’s phone records revealed that he had deleted data from his phone just days after Zion’s death.

Despite his cooperation, inconsistencies in Jaylen’s story began to surface.

Trial and Justice: A Family Betrayal Comes to Light

As the investigation progressed, Jaylen’s story continued to change. 

Initially, he claimed that Zion had died from smoking marijuana.

However, during a later interview, he added a new detail.

He claimed that they had taken a drug called LSD that night, not marijuana and that it was the LSD that had caused Zion’s heart to stop.

Detectives pressed Jaylen, suggesting that the drugs might have caused him to accidentally harm Zion.

However, Jaylin stuck to his story.

He insisted that Zion’s death was an accident and that he had only panicked in response.

Zion Foster

Without a confession or concrete evidence of foul play, prosecutors were unable to charge Jaylin with murder. 

Instead, he was arrested and charged with lying to the police.

Jaylin’s trial focused on his misleading statements and the impact they had on the search for Zion. 

You can watch excerpts from the court session in the video below, where he is seen crying and telling the judge that he had panicked.

In 2022, Jaylin accepted a plea deal for the lying charges and was sentenced to 23 months to 4 years in prison. 

He was released from prison in 2023 after serving only 10 months of his sentence.

He completed a 90-day Special Incarceration Program which granted his early release.

Verdict Reached: Uncovering the Truth Behind Zion Foster's Story

Despite Foster's body never being found, prosecutors later charged Brazier with her murder in June 2023. 

After a preliminary hearing in August 2023 where significant evidence was presented, Brazier was ordered to stand trial for the murder charges.

Brazier admitted to disposing of Foster's body in a dumpster after claiming she died unexpectedly while they were together. 

Jaylin Brazier was found guilty of killing his cousin, Zion Foster, by a jury on May 16, 2024. 

He was convicted of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence related to her death in January 2022. 

The motive behind Jaylin Brazier's actions was alleged to be a rejected sexual advance towards his cousin, Zion Foster. 

Prosecutors argued that Zion resisted Brazier's attempts for a sexual encounter, which led to her death. 

They claimed that he had been grooming her for a sexual relationship and that when she refused, he killed her and disposed of her body in a dumpster out of fear. 

A detailed examination of Jaylin's phone revealed several alarming google searches, including "How do you know if the police are following you?"

Additionally, he frequently searched for "cousin porn" online and also sent Zion explicit messages that were sexual in nature.

Brazier, however, maintained that he did not kill her but panicked after she died unexpectedly while they were together

To this day, Zion’s body has never been found, leaving her loved ones without closure. 

Despite the efforts of her family and law enforcement, Zion’s fate remains a mystery, and those who loved her are left to grapple with the unanswered questions. 

As we remember Zion, we must also reflect on the importance of vigilance and the need for justice in the face of such profound loss.

Here’s a longer video with in-depth analysis if you want to learn more about this case.