Zion Foster search: Detroit Police to begin searching landfill for victim's body on May 31

Detroit police, family talk about missing Zion Foster

Law enforcement, public safety agencies, and family were all in attendance for an update into the disappearance of Zion Foster, the 17-year-old Eastpointe teen that's been missing since January.

LENOX TWP, Mich. (FOX 2) - Law enforcement investigating the disappearance of an Eastpointe 17-year-old have narrowed their search to a landfill in Lenox Township in Macomb County.

Through tears, Zion Foster's mom Cierra Milton expressed sorrow for her daughter's future that was cut short. While grateful for the efforts of police and surrounding public safety offices, she also expressed deep turmoil about what happened to her Foster.

"I just want to know what happened to my baby," Milton said Thursday during a press conference.

Milton was alongside Detroit Police Chief James White, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, and a bevy of law enforcement officials. Also in attendance were employees of the township where the landfill is located, as well as officials of the dump where police will be searching.

Based on information from Foster's cousin, Jaylin Brazier who has since been sentenced for charges related to the investigation, police believe the victim's body was placed in a dumpster before it was taken to Pine Tree Acres Landfill, on 29 Mile Road.

About 70 officials, 40 searchers and 30 additional employees are expected to start digging through a section of the landfill about 100 square feet large. The agent in charge said the search would take approximately seven to eight weeks.

Zion Foster's mom: 'my baby has to be recovered from trash'

Authorities will search a landfill in Macomb County for the remains of Zion Foster, the Eastpoint teen who disappeared in January, after evidence led them to the site.

The tentative date for the search to start is May 31.

White said he made the call for Detroit police to take the lead on the investigation early on after Foster went missing, saying it's the "right thing to do."

"We're doing everything possible as the lead agency to bring closure to this case," he said. "I'm proud of the dedication of our men and women. This is what it means to collaborate."

Zion, 17, was last seen on January 4 with her cousin, Brazier, who has since been convicted of lying to police in the investigation. In March, he was sentenced to between 23 months to 4 years in prison.

Cierra Milton, Zion Foster's mom.

Brazier admitted he found Zion dead, but he's not charged with her murder. Instead, Braizer admits he threw the dead body in a dumpster.

"I reacted stupidly off of fear and panic like I've never felt before in my life," he said in court during his sentencing.

Zion left her mother's home in Eastpointe that January day to hang out with Brazier on Detroit's west side. However, Foster never returned home.

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Milton said she did not believe Brazier.

"It wasn't too long ago that I saw you and even knowing that my baby had been in contact with him, I kept going to his house. I just wanted him to tell me the truth," said Milton.