'He threw her in a dumpster': Mother of missing Zion Foster says cousin told her teen is dead

Zion Foster's mother says cousin told her teen is dead

Zion Foster's mother said Jaylin Brazier, Foster's cousin, told her the teen was dead. Foster has been missing since early January, when she went to hangout with Brazier in Detroit.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The mother of Zion Foster, who has been missing since Jan. 5, says the teen's cousin told her she is dead.

More: Zion Foster's cousin charged with lying to police

"He said that my baby just died, and then that he threw her in a dumpster, like she was trash," Ciera Milton said.

Foster, 17, left her mother's Eastpointe home to hangout with her cousin 17-year-old Jaylin Brazier on Detroit's west side. However, Foster never returned home.

Zion Foster

Milton said Brazier helped post fliers and was there for emotional support in the early stages of the disappearance. Then, he was arrested weeks later.

Brazier was charged with lying to police during the investigation.

"I’m sitting there and I’m shaking. It’s difficult to accept because he’s been lying from the beginning," Milton said.

On Wednesday, Brazier pleaded no contest as part of a plea deal.

"His mother reached out to me and told me, ‘You know, we are both hurting.’ No. That’s impossible. You hurt for one reason, and I hurt in a measure you won’t experience," Milton said.

Detroit police said they have filed a homicide warrant request with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.

As Milton continues to grieve, she holds out hope that her daughter may be found alive since her body has yet to be recovered.

"If somebody has information, please bring my beautiful, singing, talented, boisterous, happy, peaceful baby back," she said. "I’m told a lot, ‘You are so strong. I don’t know how you look the way you look.’ But people don’t see me past this point. You’ve seen me break down in moments on camera, but there are moments when I can’t breathe."

Crime and Public Safety Eastpointe Detroit