Inkster, MI – A 49-year-old mother and her 23-year-old son have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder and evidence tampering after allegedly killing the son’s 17-year-old girlfriend and hiding her body inside a sealed plastic bin earlier this year. Prosecutors say the pair then carried out an “extended campaign to lie to police” to conceal their crime.
The Incident: Teen Girlfriend Found Dead in Sealed Plastic Bin
Authorities identified the victim as London Thomas, a 17-year-old girl who was last seen alive around 4 a.m. on April 5, 2024, when she was dropped off at Jalen Pendergrass’ home in the 27000 block of Carlysle Street in Inkster, about 15 miles west of Detroit.
When Thomas failed to return home, her family reported her missing multiple times, prompting an extensive search by local authorities.
According to investigators, Thomas had been strangled to death, and her body was later found stuffed inside a sealed plastic storage bin nearly three weeks after her disappearance…