Peyton Moreland (2:37)

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Garrett Moreland (2:45)

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Peyton Moreland (3:21)

You're listening to an Ono Media podcast. Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the podcast. This is Murder with My Husband. I'm Peyton Moreland.

Garrett Moreland (3:28)

And I'm Garrett Moreland.

Peyton Moreland (3:29)

And he's the husband.

Garrett Moreland (3:30)

I'm the husband.

Peyton Moreland (3:31)

We did not win the lottery.

Garrett Moreland (3:36)

Yeah, sorry, I guess the sarcasm didn't come through on the audio. I guess we can take blame for that. We didn't win the lottery. If we won the lottery, we. Our social medias would be deleted. You would probably never get another episode from us.

Peyton Moreland (3:52)

That's not true for me.

Garrett Moreland (3:57)

No, I don't know about that. But yeah, no social medias. I'm sorry, we didn't. We did not win the lottery. I wish I. I wish I could give all of you $10,000. I would if I could.

Peyton Moreland (4:09)

Listen, Garrett and I always just manifest winning the lottery, so I think we're really used to just saying that we won the lottery.

Garrett Moreland (4:15)

Also, for those who don't know, we live in Utah. You can't play the lottery in Utah. So we can't even play the lottery here.

Peyton Moreland (4:22)

Yeah, we don't got a chance.

Garrett Moreland (4:24)

They. They. It's illegal. Like, it doesn't exist here.

Peyton Moreland (4:27)

You know what? But that one's on us. I'm really, really sorry that we got your hopes up.

Garrett Moreland (4:32)

For those who did, the me sorry didn't win.

Peyton Moreland (4:35)

Yeah, I felt bad. I felt bad. But we caused quite the havoc.

Garrett Moreland (4:39)

Yeah, a lot of you thought we were serious and apologize for that. So next time we win the lottery, we'll make sure to let you know that we actually did win.

Peyton Moreland (4:47)

Yeah, but if we say it before then, we didn't win.

Garrett Moreland (4:50)

Yeah. Besides us not winning the lottery. Update on my bagels. Not a huge update on my bagels. So nothing there. My update is that there's not really an update, but I am working towards it. I'm still figuring it out. I like, I promise you, my goal for 2026 is I opening a bagel shop. It's gonna happen. I'm gonna make it happen. And Peyton's gonna have to be head baker at my bagel shop.

Peyton Moreland (5:17)

Baby, I'm not.

Garrett Moreland (5:18)

Bacon pain's not bacon pain. Will not bake support.

Peyton Moreland (5:22)

I'll go to the grand opening. I'll throw the grand opening. Thanks, baby, but I can't bake.

Garrett Moreland (5:28)

That's okay. I don't expect you to bake. Peyton and I both aren't very big bakers or cookers.

Peyton Moreland (5:33)

I cook, just not in the kitchen. In everything else in my life.

Garrett Moreland (5:38)

Exactly. That's funny. That's what I got for my 10 seconds. So let's hop into today's episode.

Peyton Moreland (5:45)

Our sources for this episode are CBS news.com meaw.com blackandmissinginc.com WMAR2news.com oxygen.com NBC.com NBC news.com Facebook, wbtv.com attorney.org the hueandcry.com Charlie Project, missingpersoncenter.org and Dateline. Getting pregnant is supposed to be one of the most magical times in a woman's life. For many, it's a pivotal chapter. A time when you know everything is about to change and hopefully for the better. It's a time to be showered with love, to be pampered, to rest and take care of yourself. But it's also a time where a woman is at her most vulnerable. And I'm not just talking about the flood of hormones and emotions and changes to your body. I'm actually talking about in society, too. According to a 2020 article in the American Journal of Public Health, pregnant and postpartum women had a 35% higher risk of being murdered than a non pregnant woman.

Garrett Moreland (6:55)

Wait, what?

Peyton Moreland (6:56)

Yep. You're more at risk to be murdered while pregnant than not pregnant.

Garrett Moreland (7:01)

And I would assume that the statistic is based off of all murders, but yes. All murders. Yeah, I was going to say I bet you majority of it is. So I. I bet off that statistic, 90% of those are husbands or significant others.

Peyton Moreland (7:15)

The fact you just throw out percentages when you have no idea what are you talking about? You can say I.

Garrett Moreland (7:24)

You know what I said, I bet you is very close to accurate. It was okay with 90.78. Sure.

Peyton Moreland (7:30)

Garrett thinks the majority are domestic.

Garrett Moreland (7:33)

Oh, 90%. 90.78%. Correct.

Peyton Moreland (7:37)

But that's your opinion.

Garrett Moreland (7:38)

Correct.

Peyton Moreland (7:39)

Okay.

Garrett Moreland (7:41)

Keep going. Yeah.

Peyton Moreland (7:43)

And the rates for this are even higher than that amongst black women, which is why today I want to cover a really important case. This is the true crime story of Akiya Eggleston. So let's dial back the clock not too far, honestly, but to May of 2017 when good old youngin Peyton and Garrett were getting married.

Garrett Moreland (8:12)

This is true.

Peyton Moreland (8:13)

But as we are getting married in California, over in the city of Baltimore, Maryland is 22 year old Akia Eggleston. Now, everyone who knew Akia said she was a fun loving, warm hearted person, the kind of woman who would do anything for the people that she cared about. She loved to dance, she was very into the arts, and she was very close with her family, particularly her stepfather, her aunt and her grandmother. She actually found herself leaning on them a lot that May of 2017 because Akiya at this point in her life was eight months pregnant and she was raising her other child, a two year old daughter named Emery, on her own. Now, not to mention Akiya was still recovering from the loss of her mother, who had died two years earlier, to breast cancer. It was something that seemed to weigh heavy on Akia, especially as she was about to have her second child. So at the end of April 2017, Akia even posted about it on her Facebook page writing, quote, I really wish my mother was here now. According to Ikea's stepdad, Ikea had never really been the same since the passing of her mother. Things had gotten a lot tougher on her ever since. As she had to become more independent, she had to take on a lot of responsibility for the family. It kind of seems that after her mother passed, Akia became more introverted, a bit more private. The one thing though that did bring her some peace was volunteering and staying close with her community. But even that got a lot harder to do towards the end of Akiya's second pregnancy. Now, Akia's pregnancy was considered high risk, so her doctor recommended she get as much rest as she could. That meant no driving, no long walks, nothing strenuous. But Akia seemed to have a solution for that at the time. She and her current boyfriend, this is the father of her unborn baby, 35 year old Michael Robertson, were planning on moving into a new place together before the baby arrived. This is a boy, by the way, who they had already picked out the name Anubis. So Akia and Michael had known each other for years before getting pregnant. In fact, Michael's grandmother used to be Akiya's babysitter when she was younger. So the families were presumably really close. But the two reconnected in the middle of 2016 when they saw each other at a mutual friend's birthday party. Shortly after that, they began dating. Akiya got pregnant, and now they were planning a future together. This was something that Akia was really excited about. On May 3, 2017, Akia even took out money from the bank to pay for a deposit on their new place. And four days after that, on May 7, Ikea had arranged a beautiful baby shower for herself. Kia had organized it all on her own. She had spent close to a grand on the location and decorations. And that afternoon, everything was set up by the party planner and ready to go. So the guests started trickling in one by one to her baby shower, placing their gifts for baby Anubis down on a designated table. But as the clock ticked on and the appetizers were served, one thing was missing from the baby shower. And that was Ikea, the pregnant mother.

Garrett Moreland (11:59)

That's horrible.

Peyton Moreland (11:59)

Okay, now everyone knows that Akia was eight months pregnant. And those closest to her knew she was deemed a high risk pregnancy. So of course, everyone's first thought is maybe she's at the hospital with a complication. Maybe she's already in labor. Problem is, a key is not answering her phone as everyone is showing up to her party. So the next person her family calls is actually a guy named Stefan. Now, this is one of Akia's best friends in the entire world. He was the one who was supposed to pick Akia up that day and drive her to her own shower, since she wasn't supposed to be driving herself. And since Ikea's family knew that plan, they contacted Stefan to ask if the two of them were together. And he says no. Ikea told him she would call him when she was ready, but he hadn't heard from her that day, so he just figured she was running late. And that's when Stefan and a few other party guests decide to rush over to Akia's apartment to check on her. Only when they get there, there's no sign of Akiya there either. Even weirder, a lot of her stuff is missing, and not just money and jewelry. Heavy pieces of furniture have been removed from the house, her dresser was gone, and most of her closet had been emptied. This is obviously something Akiya definitely didn't do on her own at eight months pregnant. Now, remember how I said after her mother's death, Akiya had gotten a lot more private about her life? Apparently that included the details of her relationship with Michael, because a Lot of people didn't even know the two were planning to move in together. In fact, it seems like most people thought that they were on the outs by the time the baby shower rolled around. And I don't know if anyone called Michael that day to ask if he knew where Akiya was. I'm sure they did. But Michael said he hadn't seen IKEA in almost a week. He says, I haven't seen her since May 1st. So at this point, the family calls 911 and they follow it up with a trip to the police station to file a missing persons report. That day, police pay a visit to Akiya's apartment, but they don't walk away with any evidence of note. To them, it just looks like someone was starting their move out of the apartment. And meanwhile, the family begins scouring the park near Akiya's place, hoping to maybe find her or a sign of her. They find nothing. And once it's confirmed that Akiya isn't at any local hospitals, the police start working to put together a timeline to of what may have happened. Because this means there is an eight month pregnant mother who is currently missing that's so horrible.

Garrett Moreland (14:53)

She plans this whole baby shower and I'm already mad.

Peyton Moreland (14:57)

So police realize Akiya, who was an avid social media user, hadn't actually posted anything online since May 3rd. And to do the time for you, this is four days before she didn't show up to her baby shower, which her family found strange considering that she was constantly updating her followers about her pregnancy journey online. And the last known post was that afternoon on May 3rd when IKEA uploaded a picture of her sonogram. And then at 5:22pm she sent a Facebook message to a friend inviting them to come to the future baby shower that she was going to not appear to. And then after that, it seems like IKEA goes silent. And Police also realize May 3rd was the last time anyone saw IKEA alive. So as soon as she's reported and they start talking, everyone, they realize that they are already four days behind from the last time that anyone knew or heard from ikea.

Garrett Moreland (16:03)

Four days is so long. It's interesting because before the podcast, I don't think I would ever have realized how long four days is. I'm like, oh, like that's fine. Like that's not a big deal. But honestly, Anything longer than 12 hours now is like, yeah, like it's just not looking good. Sadly.

Peyton Moreland (16:18)

Yeah, I can't imagine, you know, you have this family member who's super private and has Kind and, you know, chooses to be private, but you're still supporting her in the ways that she would like. So you show up to the shower only to discover once police begin looking into her disappearance, that it's been four days. That has to be so devastating.

Garrett Moreland (16:39)

Yeah.

Peyton Moreland (16:40)

So May 3rd, she was caught on security footage at a local bank withdrawing money for her new apartment. The 4 foot 11 Akia was spotted wearing a green T shirt and black joggers. A friend had actually driven her that day to the bank and they said they dropped her back off at her place around 2 or 3pm now this coincided with the fact that one of the last cell phone pings from Akiya's phone outside of her apartment was at a tower right near that bank. But after that, it was like IKEA had vanished into thin air. So after May 3, there were no more social media posts, no more Facebook messages, no more bank withdrawals or cell phone activity. And what's even scarier is that this investigation goes on. They keep searching, they keep looking and eventually IKEA's due date comes and goes.

Garrett Moreland (17:41)

Oh my gosh. They have no idea.

Peyton Moreland (17:43)

And there is still no sign of her or even any evidence pointing to where she might have gone or what might have happened to her and her son. And you also have to remember there is a two year old little girl wondering what has happened to her mother because she did have another baby. But it seems like it takes the police some time to bring in the one person they probably should have spoken to immediately and that was akia's current boyfriend, 35 year old Michael Robertson.

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Garrett Moreland (18:49)

You must have heard of Eight Sleep by now. They are the company with the sole mission of improving your sleep and they've just launched their latest product pod 5. Peyton and I have an 8 sleep pod 5 and we absolutely love it. It has completely changed our lives when it comes to sleeping. When we go and sleep at other places, hotels, families, houses that don't have it I do not know. We don't sleep because we love the Pod 5 so much. Pod 5 is the newest generation of their signature product, the Pod, a smart mattress cover that you place right on top of your existing mattress. This is next level sleep tech. Automatically regulates your body temperature throughout the night independently for each side of the bed. The result, up to one full hour of additional quality sleep per night.

Peyton Moreland (19:39)

I think a very simple way of explaining it is just telling you Garrett and I's routine. My sleep side of the bed starts heating up around 8pm because I've set it that way using the app. So when I get into bed, it feels like I'm crawling into very warm, nice sheets. Garrett's starts cooling down opposite because he doesn't want to sleep hot. My side follows my body temperature through the night, changing with me so I don't wake up sweating or freezing, which is actually crazy technology. And then I wake up having slept well. And like Garrett said, it's hard to sleep anywhere else because eight sleep is that amazing.

Garrett Moreland (20:18)

And it just goes on top of your existing mattress. You don't even know it's there. It's basically.

Peyton Moreland (20:24)

Can't feel it.

Garrett Moreland (20:25)

Can't feel it. It's basically invisible. But you can feel the heating and you can feel the cooling. There's so many other features that it does.

Peyton Moreland (20:31)

It's telling you how you slept.

Garrett Moreland (20:33)

Telling you how you sleep can wake you up. There's a little alarm clock where it like starts buzzing.

Peyton Moreland (20:39)

Yeah. Gentle awake.

Garrett Moreland (20:41)

It's amazing. It's honestly top three things I've ever bought.

Peyton Moreland (20:46)

Yeah, it's definitely like a product that I would be like. If you're looking to invest in something that could, like, significantly improve your life, it would be sleep.

Garrett Moreland (20:54)

If you're going through menopause or just struggling with night sweats, you have to try this. Head over to 8sleep.com husband and use the code husband to get $350 off your very own Pod 5 Ultra. The best part is that you still get 30 days to try it at home and return it if you don't like it. But we're confident you will love it. Trust us, your body will thank you for this investment in better sleep shipping to many countries worldwide. See details@8sleep.com husband now, to be fair.

Peyton Moreland (21:23)

It seems like Michael was being pretty cagey with police throughout the investigation. According to one statement police released, Michael, quote, notably has displayed a consistent pattern of hiding or avoiding police contact for weeks or months at a time between interviews. And because they can't arrest him you kind of have to have someone who's willing to cooperate with you in order to, like, continue these interrogations. So I do know that when they get him to sit down on June 15, a month after Akiya's disappearance, he tells them this, that the last time he saw Akiya was two days before she was last seen or heard from on May 15th. First. This is obviously a little different than what he had originally told her family back on the day she disappeared. But he continues to police that he stopped by her place that day, left, and then went to work. And when he went back, he said all of his stuff was packed in a box. And he said he took that not as a sign that they were moving in together like they planned, but as a sign that she was over him and they were breaking up. Now, besides that, he really doesn't give the police much to work with, though. By the following month, July 2017, police feel pretty confident that foul play was involved in Akia's disappearance. And they're pretty sure Michael Robertson might have had something to do with it. Especially when they learn a few other shady things about Michael, like the fact that he got a new phone and phone number a day before the baby shower. And they learned that Michael had an entire other family on the side, like.

Garrett Moreland (23:15)

With kids and everything besides. Holy crap.

Peyton Moreland (23:19)

So it turns out that 35 year old Michael was also in a relationship with another 22 year old woman named Haley, and the two of them had their own children together.

Garrett Moreland (23:31)

Holy. How. How do you hide that? Like, how do you. How is that possible?

Peyton Moreland (23:37)

In fact, Haley gave birth to her second child with Michael in August of 2016, and then Akia got pregnant the following month. So he had a child with Haley and the following month him and Akia were pregnant.

Garrett Moreland (23:52)

I'm. I just have so much going through my mind because I'm trying to figure out, how did he see his other kids, how did he see his other girlfriend? Like, how. How is he doing all this?

Peyton Moreland (24:02)

Also, like, the mom's just at home with a newborn and you're getting another girl pregnant.

Garrett Moreland (24:06)

Yeah, this is. This is crazy.

Peyton Moreland (24:09)

Disrespectful.

Garrett Moreland (24:10)

Oh my gosh.

Peyton Moreland (24:11)

Now, to be honest, I'm not sure if Haley knew about Ikea at first, but it seemed Ikea did know about Haley and Michael's two other children. I'm not saying that she knew that they were currently in contact or Haley was under the assumption that they were together. He might have just said, this is my ex and I have two children with her. We don't actually know what he told Akiya, but we do know that she was aware that he had other kids with Haley.

Garrett Moreland (24:40)

Okay.

Peyton Moreland (24:40)

And I can also say that around April 2017, a few months before Akiya disappeared, Michael and Haley were actually evicted from the apartment that they shared, which was when Michael began staying at Akiya's place regularly. Michael told detectives he wasn't even sure at first if the baby was his because he was under the impression that he and Ikea were open and not exclusive at the time.

Garrett Moreland (25:08)

That's such a cowardly thing to say.

Peyton Moreland (25:12)

But he said he was willing to take a paternity test once the baby arrived. And he said if the baby was his, then he would happily take on the role of father. So gracious of him. But he also says Akiya was insistent he was the father. So when she began asking him to come to doctor's appointments and sonograms, and he said no because he wanted the paternity test, that's when they began to fight. And that's why, he said on 1 May, Akiya had packed up his stuff and left it at her apartment. And he said he went there, and when he saw it all packed, he waited for her to come home so they could talk. But she never showed. So he figured things were really done between the two of them and didn't show up to the baby shower and hadn't heard from her after that.

Garrett Moreland (26:01)

I don't believe any of this at all.

Peyton Moreland (26:03)

He tells the police he is genuinely worried. He insists he's not involved at all. But he does point to one person that he is suspicious of. So police are like, hey, if not you, then who? And he says, oh, Akiya's best friend, Stefan. Now, remember, Stefan was the one who was supposed to pick Ikea up on the day of her baby shower and drive her there. But Michael tells police that Stefan's feelings for Akia went well beyond friendship. According to him, he was supposedly obsessed with her. If she needed a ride, he dropped everything. If she needed rent, he offered her up money, no questions asked. And when investigators start looking into Stefan, they do learn the two were really close, to the point where Akiya even trusted him enough to give him her passwords to Gmail and Facebook, along with a key to her apartment. And so they're looking into him because of what Michael said. And they learn he also owns a gun. So they realize, maybe let's bring him in for questioning. And so they do. And Stefan tells them something that makes him look even more suspicious. He says that A day or so before the baby shower, he was supposed to meet up with Akia because he was going to loan her $200. And when he didn't hear from her about it, he got a bit worried and went over to the house to check on her. Remember, he has a key. And that's when he noticed a lot of her stuff was gone. Her clothes, her baby's new crib. He also said he noticed holes in the wall of the apartment. Remember, this is days before the baby shower when the rest of her family discovered the apartment and the state of it, and that Ikea wasn't there. And yet Stefan, her supposed best friend, didn't report her missing. She wasn't answering him, didn't report any of this to police. He also didn't seem to mention it when everyone realized Akia was missing. So when they call him, they're like, hey, have you picked her up? He's like, no, I've just been waiting to hear from her. He doesn't say, actually, I haven't heard from her. Sos. This is what I saw when I went to her house. So police think, okay, this just is not adding up. When asked if he and Ikea ever dated, Stefan says, well, sort of. But it didn't really last long. But when they look over their Facebook messages to one another, they find really intimate conversations that indicate they were sleeping together, maybe on and off for what seemed to be a while. And while Stefan was head over heels for Ikea, she just wasn't really feeling the same. She saw it more as, like, friends with benefits type thing. A situationship, if you will. Okay, now, police think this could definitely. This is motive. Yeah, definitely motive to lead to a crime of passion. And it does make a little bit more sense why Michael was insisting on a paternity test.

Garrett Moreland (28:53)

Okay, I said I didn't believe him, but now I think I might.

Peyton Moreland (28:56)

So police are like, we've got a sticky situation here. So they ask him, stefan, why did you not call the police the first day that you couldn't get a hold of Akiya and you went to her house and noticed that her stuff was missing? And he said, well, I just didn't find it all that alarming yet, that he would just give it until Akia's baby shower to see if he heard from her? And when he didn't, that was when he worried like everyone else, because he knew she wouldn't miss that.

Garrett Moreland (29:24)

Yeah.

Peyton Moreland (29:25)

He also had been super cooperative with the investigation and was posting online about trying to find Akiya. He wrote Things that felt serious, like, quote, if I have to move effing mountains or take a life, I will find you.

Garrett Moreland (29:39)

Okay.

Peyton Moreland (29:40)

And when he's asked where he was on the night that Aia was last seen, May 3, the time they think she went missing, he says he was at work. And once police confirm his alibi, they realize Stefan is likely not their guy.

Garrett Moreland (29:54)

Yeah, I was gonna say he sounds like he's telling the truth.

Peyton Moreland (29:58)

So they decide to turn to a new person of interest. Someone who likely did not like Akia if she knew about her. And that was Michael's other girlfriend, Haley Pomeroy. Okay, now, as I mentioned, Haley and Michael had two children together already. And while it seems Akia knew about Haley, I'm not sure how much Haley knew about Akiya. At least at first. Because police have to investigate. And they look into it and discover that when Haley did find out that Michael had been seeing Akiya, she supposedly lost it. Which said a lot, because Haley was described by everyone as very volatile. And she was clearly mad, like, really mad about the affair because she had been posting on Facebook all about how Akia was a homewrecker. But then when akia posted a 3D sonogram of her baby just three weeks before she disappeared, and Haley saw that, she kind of.

Garrett Moreland (31:01)

Oh, no.

Peyton Moreland (31:02)

She's like, no, no, no, for sure. Michael is the father of Akia's baby. And Michael's like, I don't know. We haven't taken a paternity test. And she's like, no, no, no. My Michael is the father of that baby on the sonogram. So Haley was outraged by the whole thing, and police wondered if this. If this could. This is also motive. So Haley comes in for questioning, and she does not deny hating Akiya for coming between her and Michael. She says, yeah, my feelings are hurt. But she says she would never do anything to her. And she also says she doesn't have a car, so it's not like she can just get up and drive anywhere. It's kind of difficult. And Haley gets so emotional during this interview that they let her keep talking, thinking if she's just emotional and talking, it might lead to something. Yeah, but she denies any involvement the entire time. So they subpoena her phone records and see if they find anything. But from what I can tell, everything kind of lines up with what Haley was saying. She has nothing to do with Ikea's disappearance. Which means we're kind of now back to square one.

Garrett Moreland (32:08)

It's got to be Michael. Like, it. It has to be. I mean, we'll see. But I'm at this point leaning towards Michael.

Peyton Moreland (32:16)

Okay. So year 2017, months pass and there is no new developments in Akiya's case. So her family starts taking matters into their own hands. They reach out to the press, hoping that they can make a keyhole story more public, maybe apply some pressure to local law enforcement to really try and prioritize her case. This is really at the beginning that we see this strategy kind of start being used in social media. But despite reaching out to several different outlets, no one wants to share Akiya's story. Her family even says one outlet told them that her case wasn't, quote, newsworthy enough. So this is.

Garrett Moreland (33:00)

That's wild. Yeah, that's pretty messed up.

Peyton Moreland (33:03)

So this is when they feel that they have to reach out to the Black and Missing Foundation. It is a non profit dedicated to bringing more awareness to missing persons of color. So they help the family with spreading the word about Akiya. And four months after her disappearance, it kind of starts to catch on. By September of 2017, Akia's story was finally being told all over Baltimore and then nationally, and then Dateline. Suddenly people were talking about Ikea.

Garrett Moreland (33:39)

Okay, good.

Peyton Moreland (33:40)

And they were demanding answers for her and her family.

Garrett Moreland (33:43)

Good.

Peyton Moreland (33:44)

Which is why in November of that year, after Dateline having to cover the case, the FBI finally joins the investigation. The Baltimore field office even offered at this point a reward of $25,000 to anyone who had valuable information about Akia's whereabouts.

Garrett Moreland (34:04)

I'm just really surprised that there's been nothing about her. Just because it's pretty dang difficult to discard of a body. And nobody see, nobody know, nobody find out, especially in today's age. Like, it's not something that's just. They're also heavy. Like there's, there's so there's so much to it also.

Peyton Moreland (34:25)

Like, can we just remember in our minds right now she's eight months pregnant.

Garrett Moreland (34:29)

Yeah, I can. I don't. I hate thinking about it because this is heartbreaking.

Peyton Moreland (34:34)

You would think it would be the opposite statistic from what I shared.

Garrett Moreland (34:38)

True. Yeah.

Peyton Moreland (34:38)

Because how can you do that?

Garrett Moreland (34:40)

You would hope so.

Peyton Moreland (34:41)

So around this same time, an interesting clue emerged. That fall, a bunch of Akia's family and friends gathered in front of her apartment to hold a vigil and prayer circle for her and her baby. And as they were cleaning up and getting ready to leave, one of Ikea's friends spotted something in the shrubs near her front door at Ikea's apartment.

Garrett Moreland (35:07)

Okay.

Peyton Moreland (35:08)

It is Ikea's debit card.

Garrett Moreland (35:11)

It's sitting there the whole time?

Peyton Moreland (35:13)

Yep. And the strangest part about it. What is it appeared to look brand new. Even though if this happened the day she went missing or the last time she was even known to be at this apartment, it should have been sitting there for months and months. Like Garrett, just confused. Okay, how is this sitting here for months and months and no one finds it? And then they do find it this night and it looks brand new. And police also said they had searched every square inch in and around Ikea's apartment initially and they didn't notice the debit card, which made them think someone had recently placed this here. Now, I do want to say this debit card thing doesn't lead to any groundbreaking discoveries, but it is a weird detail that only solidifies the theory further that foul play was involved. And chances are it was someone Akiya knew. So the police circle back to the best evidence they have right now, and that is her cell phone data. So based on her cell phone data, and at this point in the investigation, police feel confident that something happened to Akiya around 5.22pm on the afternoon of May 3, which is very specific. And they think this because she was mid conversation on social media. And then everything stops. Now, Stefan's alibi at this time clears him as a person of interest. And they find that at this specific time, Haley was with her mother, who was helping take care of her two kids. Which leaves them with one more person whose location they can't confirm at this exact time. The father of Akiya's unborn child. Their very first suspect. Michael Robertson. Yeah, and the more they zone in on Michael at this time, the less things add up. Now remember, they did have him months ago. I just want to mention you guys. Say goodbye to sticky notes and calendar confusion with Skylight. The Skylight Calendar is here to keep your family organized. This beautifully designed digital display syncs with your existing calendars, making it effortless to track events, appointments and reminders in one easy to see place. Skylight Calendar was designed to connect the digital and non digital worlds while bringing families together. It is a wi fi connected digital display that showcases your family's schedule with clarity, color and brilliance in either a 10 or 15 inch HD touchscreen. And this all in one smart calendar syncs seamlessly with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook and more, giving you customizable views for daily, weekly or monthly planning. You will be able to manage events, chores and grocery lists while assigning colors for each of your family members. And eliminating excuses of not knowing what they needed to do. And this is honestly my favorite part about Skylight is it is just so inclusive for everyone in the family. So you put it in a public space. It is large. It is right there. Everyone can add, everyone can see it. It is touch screen. Honestly, you will never miss an appointment again. Your happiness is Skylight's happiness. So if in 120 days you are not a hundred percent thrilled with your purchase, you can return it for a full refund. You guys, that's crazy. And it's no questions asked. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch calendars by going to my skylight.com husband. You guys, $30 off with our code. Go to my skylight.com Husband for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. You guys, they are sleek. They are nice. It's not something you will complain about having. So that is my S K Y L I g h t.com husband. Girl, I am so happy we are doing a skims ad right now because I'm wearing one of my skims tees and I love it so much. It's a Fits Everybody fabric. I know you guys have heard me rave about the Fits Everybody fabric, but when I tell you this is buttersoft and they make it in almost everything, literally, I have the Fits Everybody boy short underwear.

Garrett Moreland (39:39)

I'm literally wearing my skims underwear right now.

Peyton Moreland (39:41)

Oh, show us your undies.

Garrett Moreland (39:43)

I can't. But I'm, I, I'm wearing my skims underwear right now too. Favorite underwear.

Peyton Moreland (39:49)

Honestly, the boy short underwear fits everybody. It doesn't move. It is so soft. I love that. It just kind of like suctions to my body and stays there. And don't get me started on the Fits Everybody crossover bralette that I got. It is so comfy. I love to just throw it on when I'm at home under shirts. I've even worn it to the gym. I'm not going to lie. So if you are still settling for uncomfortable bras or underwear that don't last, you are overdue for a skims upgrade.

Garrett Moreland (40:18)

And you're like, I want to wear the same one to where that Garrett wears. Yes, skims is the one. Honestly, it's my favorite. I know this is about some of it's about, you know, Payne's stuff, but you know, it's about my stuff too. Skims underwear is great.

Peyton Moreland (40:31)

Shop my favorite bras and underwear and garrets@skims.com and you guys, after you place your order, please Please, please, please, please be sure to let them know that we sent you. Select podcast in the survey and be sure to select our show in the dropdown menu that follows. Again, it's after you place your order, you just let them know that we sent you and it supports the show. Thank you guys for listening. And let's get into the episode. So, as I mentioned, he changed his cell phone number just three days after Akia vanished. He didn't join in on the search for her, even though she was pregnant with his child. And while he claimed Akia broke up with him days before the baby shower and he hadn't seen her since, everyone who knew Akia said this didn't seem to be the case. In fact, just days before the baby shower, she told some friends about how excited she was to be moving in with Michael. Plus, on the third, she was clearly taking money out of the bank for the deposit on their new place together.

Garrett Moreland (41:31)

Yep.

Peyton Moreland (41:32)

And once they get Michael's phone records, it tells a completely different story than the one Michael was offering because it shows that on May 3rd, 2nd, Michael sent Akiya pictures of the inside of an apartment. Which means clearly that they were still looking and still talking about moving in the day she vanished. And then on the third, this is our last day. The last outgoing call from Akiya's phone was at 3:44pm and it was made to Michael Robertson. They also Learned that at 4pm, 20 minutes later, shortly after that call, Michael took a lift, and it was one that was ordered by Akiya's phone. And the lift was from his place to her current location at her apartment. Okay, and Michael's cell data showed he was in the area near her apartment from at least 5:35 to 6:18pm that day. But later, around 6:57pm, a telemarketer tried calling Akiya's phone, which at the time, both her and Michael's phone were actually in downtown Baltimore. Though right after that call came through, Akia's phone was either shut off or disabled. Meaning possibly that call triggered whoever had the phone downtown to realize that it was still on. And so they shut it off or disabled it, and it was never turned back on after that. Which made the whole thing even sketchier for the police. But what made this entire thing even sketchier, if possible, was the fact that after that evening, Michael had done several Google searches on his home computer. Can you guess what these Google searches?

Garrett Moreland (43:25)

Yes, I can. How to dispose of a body. How to get away with murder. How any of the above d all.

Peyton Moreland (43:32)

Of the above how to dispose and hide of a body, along with 18 different searches on trash pickup, where the dumpster trash goes, and where landfills are all around Baltimore.

Garrett Moreland (43:45)

Blows my mind that people still search this stuff.

Peyton Moreland (43:48)

So. Yeah, because this is like, 2017.

Garrett Moreland (43:51)

Oh, the other day when we were talking about the insurance stuff, Remember last case I did search. What's the average time people call insurance after?

Peyton Moreland (44:00)

Which does. Like.

Garrett Moreland (44:01)

Which makes me. Which would make me look guilty, but also, I'm alive. You're alive.

Peyton Moreland (44:06)

So, you know, so I. Yeah. This is just.

Garrett Moreland (44:10)

I mean, this is horrible.

Peyton Moreland (44:11)

Yeah. So at this point, the investigation is at a crossroads. They have plenty of digital data that suggests Michael Robertson did something to Akia Eggleston and her unborn son.

Garrett Moreland (44:22)

But they want to find the body.

Peyton Moreland (44:24)

They don't have any DNA. They don't have a confession. They don't have a body. They do have a theory, though. They think that on the afternoon of the third, Michael took that lift to Akia's house, that maybe he went there to plan to break up with her or tell her he was just going to stay with Haley. Whatever the catalyst was, something sparked a fight between the two of them, according to police. Police think it got physical. Michael ended up killing Ikea, whether intentional or by accident, and then wrapped her in a blanket that was missing from her bed. Then they think he placed her in the dresser that was in her room.

Garrett Moreland (45:01)

Oh, my God.

Peyton Moreland (45:02)

Because, remember, that was also missing. And moved her out of the apartment in it, which would explain the many holes in the wall both Stefan and the family saw. He then placed the dresser, or just Ikea, in a nearby dumpster, likely one that was only 30ft from IKEA's apartment. But let me tell you the most frustrating part of this. It takes years for the Baltimore police and the FBI to move on this theory, and I have no idea why. I know that a case without a body is always hard to prosecute, and oftentimes, prosecutors will wait in hopes of finding a body.

Garrett Moreland (45:46)

Yeah, because I think the biggest thing nowadays is, you know, double jeopardy. Because if they're just hopeful and they think that more information will come out. But once you prosecute and if the jury decides not guilty, I mean, you're done, Right? The case is over with. So I get. I guess I get both sides because I feel like this happens in a lot of cases we cover, where all of a sudden, it's like they wait 10 years to.

Peyton Moreland (46:11)

Yeah, I mean, you have your suspect, you have all kinds of evidence pointing to them, just no body or DNA.

Garrett Moreland (46:18)

And they're just like, well, what do we do?

Peyton Moreland (46:19)

I mean, that's Josh Powell and Susan Powell.

Garrett Moreland (46:21)

Yeah. Yep.

Peyton Moreland (46:22)

I will say it's not until February of 2022 that they finally bring Michael Robertson back in for questioning, hoping to just get a confession out of him. At this point, by 2022, Michael has ironed things out with Haley. They've both moved to Michigan. They have had two more children together, but they still confront him with the evidence they have. They say, hey, we know that you saw Akiya two days after you told us you last saw her. And they have the Lyft driver who they've talked to and confirm that he did bring Michael over to Ikea's house that night. So you lied. And it's during this interrogation that Michael says, oh, okay, yeah, yeah, I did lie. We did see each other the night she went missing, and we did get in a fight. He says Akia had gotten out of the shower and caught him texting Haley. And that's when Ikea told Michael that he had to choose. It was either Haley or her. And when he told her, Haley AIA told him it was over between the two of them. He said that's when the fight got even more heated. He claims nothing physical happened. He keeps saying this over and over. Nothing happened. So any hope of getting a confession out of Michael at this point to the murder seems to be lost.

Garrett Moreland (47:32)

And you? I'm surprised he still goes in for questioning at this point.

Peyton Moreland (47:35)

Right. But now that they had him admitting that he had seen her that night and is probably the last person to have seen her, and that the last person that saw her also had a huge blowout fight with her, they actually finally feel that that might be enough to sway a jury because it's from his own mouth.

Garrett Moreland (47:56)

Yeah.

Peyton Moreland (47:57)

So they place the now 41 year old Michael Robertson under arrest. Michael was finally charged with two counts of first degree murder.

Garrett Moreland (48:07)

Okay.

Peyton Moreland (48:08)

Now, there were several searches for Akia and her unborn son over the years, including in a landfill in Northern Virginia, where police believed the contents of the dumpster they believe was used ended up. But the bodies were never found. This is something prosecutors know will make their case harder in court because there's no fingerprints, no DNA, no eyewitnesses, which meant the only real evidence they had was digital phone records, Google searches, and one admission that Michael fought with her in the last moments Akia was heard from.

Garrett Moreland (48:40)

I feel like I don't do this very often, but I don't think they have a good enough case.

Peyton Moreland (48:46)

Really.

Garrett Moreland (48:46)

I really? Yeah. Because even the digital evidence is like, well, you lied about not seeing her. Like, there's nothing that's like you threatened her over tech. Like, you know, there's. There's no security cameras of him dragging anything weird.

Peyton Moreland (49:00)

I mean, literally, it's as easy as his defense saying he left and someone came in and killed her.

Garrett Moreland (49:06)

Yeah, like. Like they could just say he lied, like he was scared or he was.

Peyton Moreland (49:10)

Why would you admit.

Garrett Moreland (49:11)

He was obviously already cheating on both parties, like, he's just a liar, but it doesn't mean he's a murderer. I'm not saying he's innocent because I think he's guilty, and I guess we'll find out at the end of this case. But just considering a lot of the cases we cover, it surprises me. It also first surprises me if a jury says yes. And second surprises me that they took it to court, because there's not much, but I also wanted to get caught. You know what I'm saying? I'm just. I'm just thinking out loud here.

Peyton Moreland (49:40)

So there's actually. It's interesting. One of the most compelling pieces for the jurors, according to them, was the way that Akia and Michael's phone both left the apartment together and moved downtown that night and then was turned off. Downtown.

Garrett Moreland (49:57)

Yeah, I mean, I guess that's pretty.

Peyton Moreland (49:59)

Incriminated, because that definitely would make it so he can't say, well, I just left and someone else killed her because their phones were together after he left the apartment. You know what I mean? This is the one piece of evidence that Michael also doesn't give an excuse for. He doesn't try to, like, come up with a reason why this would happen at court. And so after three and a half weeks of testimony and two days of deliberations, the jury was back with a verdict. And Michael Robertson was guilty of two counts of first degree murder. He was given two consecutive life sentences for his crimes. Now, unfortunately, this doesn't bring Akia's family any sense of relief, really, because Akiya and Anubis's bodies are still out there. They weren't given a proper burial, and their family wasn't able to say goodbye. And putting Michael Robertson behind bars wasn't going to change that.

Garrett Moreland (50:56)

Yeah.

Peyton Moreland (50:57)

Since then, Akia's family has been fighting to make something of this tragedy. They have been pushing for a measure they created called the IKEA alert, basically an Amber Alert for missing pregnant women.

Garrett Moreland (51:13)

Now, that's smart.

Peyton Moreland (51:14)

Akia's aunt, Zenobia Wilson, has been spearheading this effort and while she's been brushed off by many lawmakers, she is not giving up. She said in an interview, quote, I am asking for safety for a vulnerable population, which should not be a problem. And it's just not being taken serious at all. I guess it doesn't matter. Maybe I'm the wrong color, but I'm not going to stop until it actually goes into law. So for Akia's family, her case is no longer about justice. It's about making sure that no other woman disappears without a trace and no other family is left to fight it alone. And that is the case of Akia Eggleston.

Garrett Moreland (52:02)

Heartbreaking. I. I was thinking about it. The fact, I mean, all these cases are bad, but I don't know, it's not that one is worse than the other, but I guess, I guess one that sticks with me more than others is like children cases and then pregnant woman, I guess wild.

Peyton Moreland (52:19)

I think considering that the statistics factually back up that pregnant women, pregnant women.

Garrett Moreland (52:26)

Insane to me are in danger, it.

Peyton Moreland (52:28)

Shocks me even more that that their suggestion to make a specific alert for pregnant women because it's obviously even more dangerous, hasn't been passed because it does make sense that there would be protocols of like, a pregnant woman is missing immediately need to like, be allowed into houses, like just certain things. You know what I mean?

Garrett Moreland (52:51)

Yeah. It really shocks me. You would think that pregnant woman, like you said, would be on the other end of the statistic.

Peyton Moreland (52:58)

Yeah, you would.

Garrett Moreland (52:59)

But here we are.

Peyton Moreland (53:00)

But you know what? There are just people out there still killing. Still killing the elderly, pregnant women, children. Honestly, it's disgusting. All right, you guys, that is our case and we will see you next time with another one. I love it and I hate it. Goodbye, mom and dad. The school supplies you buy me this year will mostly end up in my mouth. Maybe shop low prices for school at Amazon so I don't eat up all your money. Just something to chew on. Amazon spend less, smile more.