Cousin Accused Of Lying About Missing Teen Zion Foster Is Convicted

EASTPOINTE, Mich. (AP) — A young man accused of lying to police about a missing Detroit-area teenager was convicted with a no-contest plea, records show.

The cousin of missing teen Zion Foster was charged with lying to police. | Credit: Detroit Police Department

Jaylin Brazier appeared in Macomb County court Wednesday, less than a month after being charged. He is a cousin of Zion Foster, a 17-year-old from Eastpointe, who was last seen on Jan. 4 wearing her restaurant work uniform. She remains missing.

A no-contest plea means Brazier, 23, didn't admit or deny the charge of lying to police, but it has the same practical effect as a guilty plea. He will get a sentence on March 30.

Authorities believe Zion was a victim of a homicide, though no one has been charged with her death.

Her father, James Royster, said last month that his daughter was a high school senior who wouldn't simply disappear.

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