Nationwide — Kayla Swanigan, a 24-year-old African American woman, went missing in Detroit, Michigan, after a planned meeting with a friend never happened. A year later, her family learned she had been murdered, set on fire, and dumped near her neighborhood, leaving her two young children without a chance to say goodbye.
Kayla’s aunt, Sabrina Swanigan, said she saw Kayla’s boyfriend shove her into a car on Detroit’s west side in October 2018, according to Fox 2 Detroit. That was the last time anyone saw her alive. For months, the family hoped Kayla might still be alive, holding onto the possibility of her safe return.
Months after her disappearance, Detroit police discovered a burned body near Homer Street, close to where Kayla was last seen. At the time, the body could not be identified, leaving the family in uncertainty. DNA testing later confirmed it was Kayla.
Sabrina described the heartbreak caused by the way Kayla was killed. “You had to burn her body too so now she can’t even have an open casket. Now her kids can’t even say goodbye,” she said. Her daughter was 5 years old and her son just 2 years old when Kayla disappeared.
The family is now calling for justice. Sabrina urges anyone responsible to come forward, hoping the person behind Kayla’s death will be held accountable. While the confirmation ended hope, it strengthened her family’s determination to seek answers and closure.