In the late spring of 2014, a young mother from Detroit, Michigan, 27-year-old Alicia Fox, a Black woman, vanished along with her two young children. Her family's concern grew into a desperate search when she failed to attend her daughter's kindergarten graduation. The search ended in heartbreak when her decomposing body was discovered in a vacant house. An autopsy would later reveal that she had been shot twice in the head.
While the discovery of Alicia's body was a devastating blow to her loved ones, a new and agonizing chapter of their nightmare was just beginning: her 6-year-old daughter, Kaylah Hunter, and her 8-month-old son, Kristian Justice, were nowhere to be found.
The investigation into Alicia's murder quickly focused on her estranged husband and the father of her infant son, Erin Justice. Investigators found evidence of a violent crime at the family's home, including blood spatter. Justice had fled to Atlanta, Georgia, where he was apprehended. He initially resisted being brought back to Michigan to face charges. Another man, Timothy Jones, was also arrested and implicated as an accessory to the crime. Jones later admitted to helping Justice move Alicia's body. He claimed that the two children were alive the last time he saw them, a statement that offered a sliver of hope in an otherwise bleak situation. Relatives of Alicia told investigators that she may have been planning to leave her husband, suggesting a possible motive for the tragic events.
Erin Justice was charged with first-degree murder. After a period of legal proceedings, which included a mental competency evaluation, he was deemed fit to stand trial. In a turn of events, he accepted a plea deal for a reduced charge of second-degree murder. He was sentenced to a lengthy prison term of 45 to 80 years for the murder of his wife. His accomplice, Timothy Jones, also pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and was sentenced for his role in the crime. Despite the convictions, the fate of Kaylah and Kristian remains a painful mystery. Their disappearance continues to cast a long shadow over the case, leaving their family with unanswered questions and a grief that cannot fully be put to rest.
