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Accused suspect in Zion Foster case released from prison, mother speaks out

Accused suspect in Zion Foster case released from prison, mother speaks out
Accused suspect in Zion Foster case released from prison, mother speaks out 02:10

(CBS DETROIT) - It was just a year ago when dozens gathered on Greenfield near Vassar where Jaylin Brazier was known to live for a community search to find Zion Foster.

Now, a year later, the man accused of dumping the 17-year-old's body is free.

Brazier was arrested for lying to peace officers in investigation. 

"It is unbearable," said Foster's mother Ciera Milton.

"How am I supposed to function on this? You know, yes people keep telling me you have other children and you know you gotta live for them and all that other kind of stuff, but no one that I know has ever been through this." 

Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido is telling CBS Detroit Brazier, the cousin of the missing teen, is out of prison.

The 24-year-old was locked up last year for confessing to dumping the 17-year-old's body when she allegedly went unresponsive.

After spending less than a year behind bars, Brazier was released through a boot camp program.

Prosecutors say he was eligible since he didn't have any prior convictions. 

"I want them to go ahead and get him for what he said he did and more," Milton said.

"I want them to uncover the truth and I believe that they will."

Foster went missing on Jan.4, 2022 after she left her Eastpointe home with Brazier.

She was allegedly dumped in Detroit later that night.

A massive search effort to find the teen in a Lenox Township landfill was unsuccessful, after digging through rubbish for months.

Detroit Police Chief James White says the investigation is still active on their end and investigators are committed to bringing the family closure.

"You've got members of this department that volunteered the entire summer to dig at a literal dumpsite and look for her," White said during a press conference Tuesday.

"That case is still wide open. We think we've got a strong suspect for that case. A lot of work to be done and we're going to continue to do that work."

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