They wanted to keep their options option, should more evidence be found against him, so they didn't want him to go free and then lose any chance at a prosecutor under double jeopardy laws. The exact date of Akia's disappearance is unknown, but it is believed to be May 3 rd , 2017. It was her last known communication. They were both prepared to pursue the death penalty in the upcoming criminal trial, which they were allowed to for any kidnapping or sexual assault charges when the victim was eleven years old or younger. Akia Eggleston went missing in Baltimore, Maryland in May of 2017. If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. It's like a depression has set in.". Between the 2002 indictment and this, he had accrued nearly five years of time served. Mom Ana Walshe, Charged with Murder. Like I said, these crimes varied by location, with some taking place in Georgia and others in South Carolina. Set in the middle of Greenwood itself, the reward fund started with a $2000 donation in her name. The 22-year-old, who was eight months pregnant, was reported missing when she failed to show up at her own baby shower. But now a parent's worst fear was beginning to creep into their bones the realization that she had not been okay, that something HAD happened to her. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Robertson also was in contact during that time with the mother of his other two children. Investigators had been pursuing clues as far away as California, and trying to tie Kia's disappearance to other stories of missing children in the surrounding states. In each crime, the suspect was described as a middle-aged white man, with some kind of gray stubble on his face and a pockmarked complexion, as well as a unique tattoo on a bicep - which some of the young victims called a "dragon," and others a "snake.". But Robertson had other plans, Mosby said, ultimately concocting an elaborate ruse about a fake move that led to Eggleston withdrawing cash for a down payment. ON AUGUST 15th, 2015 PHILLIP GAMBLE LEFT HIS MOTHER'S RESIDENCE AT 709 CIRCLE ROAD GREER, S.C. . That evening, Eggleston had shared a sonogram picture on Facebook. The search continues for a missing college student in South Carolina who went kayaking on Christmas Day and never came home. I am criticizing the rest of us who thrive in our community yet appear apathetic. IE 11 is not supported. It all pointed to a very confusing puzzle, which police didn't know how to make sense of. Families were barbecuing, having picnics, and hanging out in the pool, while children were playing all around the complex. A follow-up news article stated how employees of the local K-Mart, so moved by Wiggins' battle cry, raised $650 within an hour. It wasn't until the third or fourth crime that police began to link the crimes together, when the suspect descriptions began to slowly align with one another. Cherry Hill is a large park. The investigation to find her had still gone nowhere truly productive, with police beginning to expand their search out of the area according to some in the police department, even out of the state. Hampton would plead guilty to his original felony Peeping Tom charge, meaning that he would be spending the next five years in state prison. Then, when her family and former-sheriff Sam Riley got involved, they realized that the initial reward fund - which had been established for information - had remained untouched for around two decades. Marshals, officials said at a press conference. MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee police are requesting the public's assistance in locating critical missing, Akia Hair. Investigators allege that Akia Eggleston who was featured in a September 2021 PEOPLE cover feature on missing moms was misled by her boyfriend, Michael Robertson, into believing they were on the verge of moving in together. On July 4th, the Greenwood-area newspaper, the Index Journal, ran a story detailing Kia's mom, Bernetta Logan, as she struggled with the disappearance of her youngest daughter. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Investigators need your help. Hampton had been sitting in a Georgia prison at the time, and if South Carolina prosecutors tried the case at that time, they would be forced to bring Hampton to trial within 180 days. She was eight months pregnant at the time of her disappearance. The father of Akia's unborn child never showed up to the baby shower, placing him under suspicion of the family, yet he was never labeled as a person of interested or investigated to this day. BROWN HAIR , GREEN EYES. "I don't think her case was taken seriously," said Wilson. On the northern outskirts of the town is the small country airport, which consists of a single elongated runway. On Tuesday at 4 p.m., in Muskegon, Michigan, officers arrested Michael Robertson for the murder of 22-year-old Akia Eggleston, and her unborn child, Mosby announced from the podium where she was joined by Akias family, Baltimore Police Department detectives and Supervisory Special Agent Shayne Buchwald of FBI-Baltimore. "When it happens, we need to address it," he said. But they never gave up, and neither did we. Buchenwald added that while Akias body still hasnt been found, we hope this arrest brings a level of comfort and closure to Akias family., Members of Akias family also addressed the media Thursday. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Kia and her sister, Renee, were playing with some friends on the basketball court, when Kia decided to turn in at around 8:30 PM. believe that foul play may have been involved. May 3, 2020 will mark the third year anniversary of Akia Eggleston's disappearance. While some descriptions of this suspect varied - such as at least one of the girls calling the suspect "fat in his tummy" and the perpetrator's hair color varying - these details were all universally agreed upon. Eggleston sent a friend an invite to her baby shower that evening the last known message sent by the pregnant woman to anyone, according to the probable cause statement. However, by the time the skull was forensically proven as belonging to Kia Logan, they had come across a suspect they believed was not only responsible for Kia's death, but an assortment of various sexual assaults and crimes against children. But when they first went to the Baltimore Police Department station in Cherry Hill to report her as missing, Wilson said that their pleas for help werent taken seriously. For almost five years, Akia Eggleston's family has anxiously waited for authorities to figure out what happened to the pregnant 22-year-old Baltimore mother who vanished just days before her baby. Even though the evidence says something different -- that shes not. Hampton confessed to committing three child abductions in a northern Georgia town, and even confessed to killing a child out on a farm. According to a statement of probable cause, Eggleston and Robertson first met in the 1990s when his grandmother babysat her as a child. This meant that police were pretty confident that the skull had been intentionally left there. Details released in Kimberly Lindsey's death. Ever.". The message we should be sending far and wide is not one emphasizing our public apathy, but one which loudly reveals that the people of Greenwood County will not sit idly by while our children disappear! But, let a Carolina or a Clemson sports event take the forefront and emotions bubble over throughout the community. BALTIMORE Since the very beginning, finding 22-year-old Akia Eggleston has been considered 'critical.'. Officers are looking for Brianna Lee Roller . Pity us if we don't! Neither she nor the child have turned up since then. The crime spree began in July 1995 and carried on until August of 1996. I feel confident such an impressive reward, with the proper publicity, will help the authorities solve this mystery AND our community may well have made the solution possible. U.S. South Carolina North Carolina Missing Persons Search efforts are continuing for a 23-year-old South Carolina man who went missing in late January. MS. NEBLING IS A WHITE FEMALE, BLOND HAIR, 5'5 AND SLIM BUILT. INVESTIGATORS NEED HELP FROM ANYONE WHO MAY HAVE INFORMATION REGARDING MR. GAMBLES DISAPPEARANCE. BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Authorities have arrested Michael Robertson and charged him with murder in the 2017 disappearance of Akia Eggleston, a woman with whom he was having a child who went missing just days before her baby shower, Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said Thursday. About 1:24 p.m., Eggleston purchased two money orders totaling $450 after making several ATM withdrawals from her savings account, Mosby said. The lone exception was a five-year old girl with tan, olive-colored skin who had dark feaures. Robertson also did not show up to her baby shower and was instead at a hotel with his other 22-year-old girlfriend, identified as Hali Pomeroy, investigators said. Prosecutors there had been building a case against Hampton since the summer of 2000, but chose not to bring it forward because of an interstate agreement between Georgia and South Carolina. - tattooed on his right shoulder. Based on her pattern of life, the time passed, extensive publicity, multiple searches, and monetary reward for information in this case, the fact that Eggleston has not returned to her family or been electronically or physically located overwhelmingly indicates that she is in fact, deceased. In fact, police noted that he might have been a little TOO eager at times. "We're looking for a medium blue utility-type van with dark tinted windows. In 2009, the Malakia Logan Memorial Scholarship was established at her hometown's Lander University. James, who suffered an ankle injury against Vanderbilt on Feb. 8, hit 4 of 7 3-pointers for the Volunteers (21-8, 10-6 Southeastern Conference). Authorities allege Eggleston and Robertson were texting back and forth on May 3, the day law enforcement officials now believe she was killed. It was occupied by an older white male with graying hair. I only say "likely" because I legitimately can't find any record of him online or in the press since 2007. Between 1995 and 1996, the states of Georgia and South Carolina began investigating a series of sexual assaults that occurred along a specific interstate. Shawn Wilkinson, Eggleston's stepdad, says the money could have been for a down payment for a new apartment with her babys father. Newspaper reports indicate that she was born with two holes in her heart, but she would turn out to be stronger than she knew. In the afternoons you see small children running and playing, riding skateboards, that kind of thing. Akia Eggleston with her daughter. It was only about 14 of us. He told lawmakers that law enforcement only took the case seriously when no baby was reported being born in a nearby hospital a month later. He is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of Eggleston and her unborn child. Phone records indicate Robertson was in the area near Eggleston's residence from 5:35 p.m. to 6:18 p.m., Mosby said. She was not looked at as if she mattered to anybody, but she mattered to us., Alex Murdaugh Faces Life In Prison For Allegedly Killing His Wife & Son, Morgan Doughty Filed A Lawsuit Against The Murdaugh Family, Curtis Cousin Eddie Smith Claims Alex Murdaugh Made Him A Fall Guy, Buster Murdaugh Testified For The Defense At His Fathers Double Murder Trial, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. Akia Shawnta Eggleston was reported missing on May 7, 2017. Just like the details he provided: he knew some information about these locales, but not all of the minute details. On Thursday the states attorneys office released the full statement of probable cause in Akias case. But, rather, because he has said some very damning things about himself and committed some criminal acts, none of which would paint him as a flattering neighbor. It is not the answer and there's always an alternative," he said at the news conference. Sheriff Foster continued: "We are reasonably sure, at this point, the skull was not dug from a grave." They all decided to put the money to good use, allowing education or nursing majors to receive the scholarship in times of hardship. We are also following up on similar situations that occur in this area and nationwide.". Does it not bother you, as it does me, that our community, with a few exceptions, seems to be showing little aggressive concern over the mysterious disappearance of one of our children, Kia Logan? "It's definitely changed the lifestyle here. Egglestons stepfather, Shawn Wilkinson, who went on The View in 2019 to plead for help in solving his daughters disappearance, thanked investigators Thursday for never giving up on the case. About an hour later, Robertsons phone moved away from Egglestons apartment and headed toward downtown Baltimore as he texted the other 22-year-old woman he was dating, records show. "We hope this arrest serves as a reminder that time does not deter law enforcement efforts and our persistence to find truth and justice.". He immediately provided voluntary consent for police to search his vehicle by signing a Waiver of Constitutional Rights to a Search Warrant - a provision he also signed for a search of his home. Those early tests were inconclusive, relying on DNA found in the skull itself in very primitive ways. She didn't want to miss any potential calls from Kia. At around the time these sexual assaults came to an end, in the summer of 1996, police began to eye a specific sexual deviant as a potential suspect. As former Sheriff Riley and current Sheriff Tony Davis stated: "members of the community supported the Logan family when in need, and now those funds will support those in need with educational opportunities.". I had dreams that maybe she's been in California or somewhere all this time.". Upon his arrest, he proved very cooperative with law enforcement. Little else could be determined of the victim or how they had died, as the skull showed no signs of obvious trauma or any bullet holes. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Calls to . PLEASE CALL CRIMESTOPPERS AT 23-CRIME. Eggleston's phone activity ends there, indicating the device was either turned off or disabled, Mosby said. They searched pretty exhaustively for around three weeks, unable to locate any more remains other than the skull. Unfortunately, the searches came up with no sign of Kia, or any clue as to what had happened to her. He was sentenced to eight years, with time already served. Akia was reported missing by family members on May 7, 2017, after she failed to show up to her own baby shower. It's hard not to compare the crime to that of Tiffany Nelson, a nine-year old that went missing from Augusta, Georgia in June of 1994. However, the criminal trial would never come to be. Police were beginning to become certain that Hampton had simply been lying to them in order to obtain special privileges: such as trips outside of jail, meals, coffee, and cigarettes. Crime Stoppers encourages anyone with information about the cases featured below to submit a webtip. Police also found actual pairs of children's underwear in his laundry, which then sent in for forensic testing. This not being enough, the skull would later be sent to an FBI lab in 1998. 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