Murder With My Husband – Episode 283

"Pregnant and Vanished – The Disappearance of Akia Eggleston"
Date: August 25, 2025
Hosts: Peyton Moreland & Garrett Moreland

Episode Overview

The episode centers on the mysterious disappearance of 22-year-old Akia Eggleston in Baltimore, Maryland, in May 2017. Eight months pregnant at the time, Akia vanished days before her baby shower, leaving behind a young daughter and a confused, grieving family. The hosts examine not just Akia’s story but also the broader context of violence against pregnant women, the failures of the response from media and police, and the heartbreaking search for closure that continues for her family.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Pregnancy and Risk

• Higher Risk for Pregnant Women: Peyton opens with a sobering statistic: pregnant and postpartum women face a 35% higher risk of being murdered than non-pregnant women. Among Black women, the rates are even higher.
  (06:55)

  "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."
  – Peyton Moreland

• Garrett expresses disbelief, while Peyton notes the vulnerability of pregnant women socially, not just medically.
  (06:56-07:15)

2. Akia Eggleston: Her Life Leading Up to the Disappearance

• Background: Akia, 22, was described as loving, warm, and close with her family. She was eight months pregnant and raising a two-year-old daughter alone, still mourning her mother’s recent death.
  (08:13)

• Relationship with Michael Robertson:

  • Michael (35), father of her unborn son, had known Akia since childhood; the two reconnected in 2016 and began dating.
  • Akia was planning a future with Michael—moving into a new place together, her pregnancy considered high-risk so she relied on help.

• Immediate Timeline:

  • May 3, 2017: Withdraws money for new apartment deposit
  • May 7, 2017: Baby shower planned, but Akia never arrives—guests are concerned and search for her. (11:59)

3. The Disappearance and Initial Response

• Discovery:

  • Friends find Akia’s apartment, but she is gone—so is furniture, much of her closet, and baby items. Family notes she couldn't move heavy items alone.
  • Michael tells family he hasn't seen her since May 1, later contradicting himself to police.

• Police Investigation:

  • At first, police misinterpret the apartment scene as a move-out, not immediately suspecting foul play.
  • Akia's last social media activity was May 3, and the last traceable activity was her withdrawing money from the bank.
    (14:57)

• Critical Delay:

  • Four days lapse before anyone realizes Akia is missing, further complicating the investigation.
    (16:03)

  "Four days is so long... Anything longer than 12 hours now is like, yeah, like it's just not looking good. Sadly."
  – Garrett Moreland

4. Suspects and Motives

• Michael Robertson:

  • Michael is evasive and inconsistent with police. Among the red flags:
    • Changed his phone number right after Akia disappeared.
    • Didn't help in the search for Akia.
    • Was caught lying about his last contact with her.
    • Had a secret second family with Haley Pomeroy, another 22-year-old, and had children with both women.
      (23:31)

    "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."
    – Peyton Moreland

• Stefan (Akia's Best Friend):

  • Was supposed to pick up Akia for her baby shower.
  • Admits he noticed her things missing before the shower but didn't report her missing or tell the family.
  • Was very close to Akia, possibly in love with her, but had a solid alibi and cooperated with investigators. (29:40)

    "Once police confirm his alibi, they realize Stefan is likely not their guy."
    – Peyton Moreland

• Haley Pomeroy (Michael’s Other Girlfriend):

  • Found to be volatile and angry about Michael's relationship with Akia but had no access to a car and an alibi for May 3.
  • Police checked her phone records and confirmed the alibi.

5. Delayed Media, Law Enforcement, and Community Response

• Lack of Coverage:
  • Family is told Akia's case "isn’t newsworthy enough"; only after outreach to Black and Missing Foundation does the story gain traction.
    (33:00)

    "Her family even says one outlet told them that her case wasn't, quote, newsworthy enough."
    – Peyton Moreland

• FBI Involvement: Four months later, the FBI offers a $25,000 reward, but no further solid leads appear.

6. Emerging Evidence and Theory

• Clues:

  • Akia’s debit card found much later in pristine condition outside her apartment, suggesting someone returned it long after her disappearance.
    (35:08)

• Digital Evidence:

  • Cell phone data shows Michael was with Akia on May 3.
  • Michael took a Lyft (ordered from Akia's phone) to her apartment.
  • Both phones later moved together to downtown Baltimore before Akia’s was turned off forever.
  • Google searches by Michael on how to dispose of a body, trash pickup schedules, and landfill locations. (43:45)

    "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."
    – Peyton Moreland

• Police Theory:

  • Michael killed Akia, moved her body (possibly in her dresser) out of the apartment, and disposed of it in a nearby dumpster.
  • Years pass with little movement because police want a body or confession.

7. Arrest, Trial, and Aftermath

• 2022 Interrogation:

  • Michael finally admits to being with Akia the night she vanished and that they had a major fight.
  • Police have enough circumstantial and digital evidence to charge him.

• Trial:

  • Digital evidence is crucial—particularly the movement of Michael and Akia’s phones together after her disappearance. (49:40)

    "...the way that Akia and Michael's phone both left the apartment together and moved downtown that night and then was turned off. Downtown..."
    – Peyton Moreland

  • Jury convicts Michael Robertson on two counts of first-degree murder (Akia and her unborn son).
  • Bodies of Akia and her son Anubis have never been located.
  • Akia's family continues advocacy for an "Akia Alert" (an Amber Alert for missing pregnant women).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the statistic of murdered pregnant women:
  "[...] You're more at risk to be murdered while pregnant than not pregnant."
  – Peyton Moreland (06:56)
• On Akia's character and struggles:
  "[...] Akia had never really been the same since the passing of her mother. Things had gotten a lot tougher on her ever since."
  – Peyton Moreland (08:13)
• On Michael's other family:
  "How do you hide that? Like, how is that possible?"
  – Garrett Moreland (23:31)
• On the media’s reaction:
  "Her family even says one outlet told them that her case wasn't, quote, newsworthy enough. So this is..."
  – Peyton Moreland (33:00)
• On evidence and the impact of digital footprints:
  "[...] 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."
  – Peyton Moreland (43:45)
• On the importance of pregnant women’s safety:
  "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."
  – Zenobia Wilson (Akia's aunt), quoted by Peyton (51:14)

Timestamped Highlights

• 06:55 – Shocking statistics on murdered pregnant women
• 08:13 – Introduction to Akia’s life, family, and circumstances
• 11:59 – Akia misses her own baby shower; concern escalates
• 16:03 – The significance of a four-day gap in missing person cases
• 23:15–25:12 – Michael's double life and betrayal revealed
• 28:53 – Police suspicion shifts to Akia’s best friend Stefan, but alibi checks out
• 33:00 – Family struggles to get media coverage; "not newsworthy" response
• 35:08 – Discovery of Akia’s "pristine" debit card long after disappearance
• 41:32–43:45 – Phone records, Lyft rides, digital clues pointing at Michael
• 47:32 – Michael's confession to being the last to see Akia, and the fight
• 49:57–50:56 – Jury conviction and sentencing
• 51:13 – The Akia Alert: advocacy for systemic change

Tone & Language of the Hosts

• Peyton: Empathetic, passionate about victims’ rights, detail-oriented, and critical of institutional failures.
• Garrett: Compassionate yet skeptical, providing logical reactions and layperson’s insights, expressing visible outrage and heartbreak at the facts.

Conclusion

This episode offers a thorough, emotional journey through Akia Eggleston’s disappearance—highlighting both the specific heartbreak of her case and the systemic issues faced by missing and murdered Black women in America. Peyton and Garrett balance factual storytelling with empathetic commentary, culminating in the hope that ongoing advocacy like the Akia Alert could prevent future tragedies.