FBI
For nearly 5 years, Akia Eggleston’s household has anxiously waited for authorities to determine what occurred to the pregnant 22-year-old Baltimore mom who vanished simply days earlier than her child bathe.
On Thursday, that day lastly arrived with the arrest of Michael Robertson, the 41-year-old father of Eggleston’s unborn youngster. The Baltimore Metropolis State’s Legal professional’s workplace mentioned Robertson has been charged with two counts of first-degree homicide in reference to Eggleston’s Could 2017 disappearance.
Her stays have by no means been recovered. Robertson was arrested in Michigan on Tuesday and is awaiting extradition. It was unclear if he had an legal professional.
“Thanks to everybody for his or her ideas and their prayers and hope for our household that we might discover her alive,” Eggleston's aunt, Sanobia Wilson, mentioned throughout a Thursday press convention. “Despite the fact that the proof says one thing completely different, that she’s not, we simply need to say thanks and to please proceed to maintain us in your prayers.”
Whereas authorities on Thursday didn't element a motive behind the case, Baltimore Metropolis State’s Legal professional Marilyn Mosby mentioned authorities imagine “there was some type of competition among the many two on the subject of Akia having the kid.”
In a possible trigger assertion obtained by The Each day Beast, prosecutors additionally allege Robertson misled Eggleston into believing they had been about to maneuver in collectively. In actuality, Robertson allegedly concocted a ruse, involving a pretend condominium, to immediate Eggleston to withdraw cash from her checking account simply earlier than she went lacking.
Wilson added that in her thoughts, Robertson “has all the time been a suspect” and that “all eyes had been undoubtedly on him” after Eggleston vanished. “We do imagine that he did it, he made her disappear,” she mentioned. “He undoubtedly had a motive to not seeing this youngster be born. He has a number of youngsters.”
The arrest alerts the start of the top of a case that garnered nationwide consideration. Eggleston, who was eight months pregnant along with her second youngster, went lacking on Could 3, 2017, after stopping at a financial institution close to the Internal Harbor in downtown Baltimore. She was reported lacking 4 days later when she didn't present up for her child bathe.
Throughout a press convention asserting the costs, Mosby additionally detailed Eggleston’s final steps earlier than she vanished—noting that cellphone information and pictures helped construct a case towards Robertson.
The possible trigger assertion notes that Eggleston and Robertson first began relationship in 2016 after the pair reconnected at a party of a mutual buddy. On the time, nevertheless, the 35-year-old Robertson was already in a relationship with one other 22-year-old lady.
That lady had given delivery to her second youngster with Robertson about one month earlier than Eggleston obtained pregnant. Prosecutors allege that “after being evicted from an condominium he shared with” the opposite lady, Robertson started to frequently stick with Eggleston in April 2017.
“Simply previous to her homicide, Eggleston instructed a number of family and friends members she and Robertson had been imminently shifting into a brand new condominium collectively,” the possible trigger assertion says.
On Could 1, prosecutors say, Eggleston messaged a buddy on Fb revealing that she was about to place a deposit down on a brand new condominium she had but to see. The subsequent day, Robertson despatched Eggleston blurry photographs of an condominium simply earlier than Eggleston bought two cash orders totaling $450. Prosecutors say that Eggleston additionally withdrew cash from her financial savings account earlier than texting Robertson: “I known as u I obtained the cash order.”
Prosecutors notice that later that afternoon, Eggleston spoke to a buddy on the cellphone, admitting that whereas her relationship with Roberston was “okay,” she was “not sure if she trusted him as a result of he was in a relationship with at the very least one different lady.”
The day Eggleston went lacking, the possible trigger assertion notes, she was seen on the financial institution depositing the 2 cash orders and a paycheck earlier than making one other withdrawal. Cellphone information point out that Eggleston went dwelling shortly after—and Robertson arrived shortly after.
The final recognized communication by Eggleston was at 5:22 p.m. on Could 3, when she despatched a buddy a Fb message invitation to her child bathe that Sunday. 4 days later, Eggleston and Robertson failed to indicate up on the child bathe she deliberate—prompting relations to right away suspect one thing was awry.
Authorities say that whereas Eggleston’s household was desperately trying to find the younger mom, Robertson moved to Michigan in late 2017 with one other 22-year-old lady. Previous to his transfer, nevertheless, Robertson was interviewed by authorities twice, the place prosecutors mentioned he “displayed a constant sample of hiding or avoiding police contact for weeks or months at a time between interviews.”
All through the interviews, Robertson allegedly lied to investigators a number of instances about particulars of his relationship with Eggleston and the circumstances of her disappearance. Prosecutors additionally notice that Roberston’s search historical past after Eggleston vanished included “the place does Baltimore metropolis trash go when picked up. “BALTIMORE Metropolis Dumpster pickup”, and “baltimore metropolis landfill”—which can point out what could have occurred to Eggleston’s stays.
“So far, investigators are unaware of any makes an attempt by Robertson to help within the seek for Eggleston and their unborn youngster. In actual fact, Robertson has displayed a sample of avoidance or fleeing from police after being questioned about Eggleston’s homicide," the possible trigger assertion notes.
Whereas the case made nationwide headlines—spurring options in Individuals Journal, a function in HBO’s Black and Lacking, and an FBI reward of $25,000—it appeared to go chilly inside six months of Eggleston’s disappearance.
“This has been an extended and painful journey for the household of Akia Eggleston,” FBI-Baltimore supervisory particular agent Shayne Buchwald mentioned on Thursday. “For almost 5 years, the folks of Baltimore have searched, hoped, and mourned with Akia’s household and buddies, however they by no means gave up and neither did we.”
Eggleston’s stepfather, Shawn Wilkinson, additionally burdened on Thursday that his household was nonetheless searching for justice within the younger mom’s case that has induced fixed “ache and anguish.” Describing Eggleston as a proficient younger lady, Wilkinson admitted that he was nonetheless holding out hope that Eggleston and her unborn youngster had been alive.
“It has affected so many relationships and we are going to proceed to face united as a household till the ultimate judgment on this case has been rendered,” he added.