Zion Foster case: Cousin's phone text asked if he could be charged for murder without a body

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Jaylin Brazier was bound over for trial after the second day of his court hearing in the murder of his cousin - 19-year-old Zion Foster, whose body was never found.

He sat in court emotionless during the hearing as details emerged about Zion’s bank accounts and text messages — prosecutors say — Brazier shared with his girlfriend.

One message, which had a link to a Google search questioning if Brazier could be charged for murder if a body isn’t discovered.

We also heard recordings of DPD’s interrogation of Brazier after Zion’s disappearance.

Detroit police Sgt. Shannon Jones took the stand and read some of Brazier’s responses of that January night in 2022. In that police interview he said that he believed his cousin died after smoking marijuana at his home while his two children slept upstairs.

"'She said she was tired so I let her sleep a little bit, and went into the kitchen to get something to drink. When I came back out, I saw Zion’s head was tilted back on the couch and she wasn’t responding."

Jones says Brazier told them he panicked and didn’t dial 911 for fear of looking like he murdered her. That’s why Brazier said he dumped Zion’s body in a dumpster near a business.

For months last year, authorities from several police departments searched a large landfill but never found Zion’s body.

Judge Kenneth King asked the DPD sergeant about the search.

"I can tell you that we did enough research to not be on a wild goose chase, to spend five months searching through trash for someone’s child," said Jones.

The chilling testimony on Wednesday followed an emotional first day.

Zion’s mom, Ciera Milton, took the stand Tuesday and talked about the exhaustive search for her daughter’s body.

Attorneys discussed text messages, they say, were sent from Brazier about how this case has taken a toll on him.