In late December 2021, the family of Latima Warren, a 32-year-old Black mother of four from Detroit, Michigan, grew increasingly worried. She had not been seen or heard from since around December 28th, and her absence was deeply felt, especially as she had a newborn baby. The grandmother of Warren's older children, Gwen Parks, became suspicious when Warren's boyfriend, Rondell Watters, seemed unconcerned that she had been missing for nearly a week and had not reported it to the police.
Taking matters into her own hands, Parks filed a missing person's report and began putting up fliers to bring attention to her loved one's disappearance.
The search for Latima Warren came to a horrific end on January 17, 2022. After persistent efforts by her family to get law enforcement more involved, Detroit Police, assisted by Michigan State Police, executed a search warrant at the home Warren shared with Watters on Vaughn Street. The grim discovery was made by cadaver dogs, who located human remains hidden in bags. Investigators found bags containing her dismembered body in multiple locations throughout the house, including the basement and an upstairs area. The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed her death as a homicide, revealing that she had been shot and killed before being dismembered. A child was also found unharmed inside the residence at the time of the search.
In the wake of the gruesome discovery, authorities arrested 44-year-old Rondell Lamar Watters, who was not only Warren's boyfriend but also the father of her infant child. The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office charged Watters with open murder, mutilation of a body, and tampering with evidence. He was arraigned in 36th District Court, with a probable cause conference scheduled for early February 2022, followed by a preliminary examination. The case drew significant community attention due to the brutal nature of the crime committed against the mother of four.
