Zion Foster's mother says cousin told her teen died, fire destroys Oakland Hills Country Club, road update

FRIDAY NEWS HIT - Zion Foster, 17, was reported missing Jan. 5 after going to hangout with her cousin in Detroit and never returning home.

Now, Foster's mother says that cousin, 17-year-old Jaylin Brazier, told her Foster is dead.

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

Milton said Foster left her Eastpointe home to go spend time with Brazier on Jan. 4, something the teens often did. However, Foster never came home and a search started. 

Brazier helped with the search at first, Milton said, but several weeks after the disappearance, Brazier was charged with lying to police during the investigation. On Wednesday, Brazier pleaded no contest as part of a plea deal.

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."

Fire rips through Oakland Hills Country Club

A fire Thursday destroyed the clubhouse of the Oakland Hills Country Club. 

Bloomfield Township Fire Chief John Leroy said there was massive structural damage caused by the fire reported at 9:20 a.m. Thursday causing the building to "pancake on itself."

This made it difficult to fight the fire, and the blaze continued to burn into the night.

"The building has collapsed in so many different places that it has actually pancaked on itself," Leroy said Thursday night. "The water is not getting to where it needs to get to actually cool off and put the fire out.  As soon as we quit flowing water in an area, it flares up five to 10 minutes later."

The historic 105,000-square-foot building is the second-largest wood structure in Michigan, only behind the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

Leroy said the structure will likely be a "total rebuild." The club said it was able to salvage most of the trophies and other memorabilia from the building.

A look at the roads

Many stretches of road are snow-covered in Metro Detroit, making for a slow morning commute.

More: How to see where MDOT snow plows are

Between 5 and 7 inches of snow fell, with snowfall ending early Friday. Crews have been out working to clear the roads, but you should still give yourself extra time to get where you are headed this morning.

See live road condition updates here.

Friday is expected to be dry for most of the day with partly sunny skies. It is still cold, but a warmup is in the forecast.

What else we're watching

1. A 5-year-old child was shot by an unsecured gun Thursday in Detroit. Police said it appears he either shot himself or shot by another child after finding a gun under a bed.
2. Many schools are closed due to the snowstorm.
3. A Flint Police Officer and former Genesee County corrections officer have been charged with sex crimes.
4. The man who shot and killed Renisha McBride in 2013 as she sought help after crashing her car, will get a new sentencing hearing.
5. Condado Tacos is opening an Ann Arbor location.

Live on FOX 2

Daily forecast

Friday will be partly sunny, breezy, and cold.

Which states have lifted mask mandates?

Some states still have mask mandates due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. health officials said Wednesday that the country is closing to getting to a point where the virus is no longer a "constant crisis."

See which states still have mask mandates here.