In the winter of 2021, the life of 38-year-old Andrew Thomas Watson became a haunting mystery for his family and the Lansing, Michigan community. On the night of January 12th, at approximately 11:00 p.m., Watson was last seen on Georgetown Boulevard in South Lansing. He was dressed in a black jogging suit that had red and white details on the jacket.
From the outset, law enforcement authorities considered the circumstances surrounding his disappearance to be suspicious, launching an investigation into the sudden and unsettling vanishing of the local man. Friends knew Watson as a high-stakes poker player who often went by nicknames like 'Skrill' and 'Moneybags,' and he was reportedly carrying between $10,000 and $15,000 in cash the night he went missing. He was on his way to play poker with a man named Willie James Jr., a meeting from which he would never return.
The investigation into Andrew Watson's disappearance soon focused on Willie James Jr. In late January 2021, police stopped James and noted that a section of the carpet was missing from his SUV and that he was carrying a significant amount of money. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered damning forensic evidence. Watson's blood was discovered in multiple areas, including around the front passenger seat and under a fabric cover. Investigators also found what they believed to be a bullet hole in the frame of the front passenger door. The evidence pointed to a violent encounter, despite testimony that the vehicle had been professionally detailed twice within a day or two of Watson's disappearance. The case grew stronger in March 2021 when a plastic bag was found in a yard containing three of Watson's cell phones, a pair of rubber gloves, and half of a $20 bill, all of which tested positive for his blood.
Despite the fact that Andrew Watson's body has never been found, the evidence gathered was enough for prosecutors to charge Willie James Jr. with his murder. The trial, held in Ingham County Circuit Court, presented a compelling case built on circumstantial and forensic evidence. Prosecutors argued that James, who was on parole at the time of the murder, shot and killed Watson in his SUV with robbery as the motive. In his defense, James admitted to lying to investigators and cleaning the vehicle but claimed his son, Willie James III, had borrowed the car and was responsible for the killing. The jury was not swayed by this account. In February 2026, they found Willie James Jr. guilty of second-degree murder. The conviction brought a legal conclusion to the case, but it offered incomplete closure for Watson's loved ones, as the question of where his remains are located is still unanswered.Last Seen: Jan 12, 2021
