Kayla Swanigan, a 24-year-old mother of two, has been confirmed dead after going missing in 2018. Her family only found out the truth many months later, after police used DNA to identify a burned body found not far from where she was last seen.
Kayla disappeared after plans to meet a friend did not happen. Her aunt, Sabrina Swanigan, said she witnessed something troubling on the day Kayla went missing. She told local media she saw Kayla’s boyfriend force her into a car on Detroit’s west side. That moment became the last time anyone saw Kayla alive.
Soon after, a badly burned body was found near Homer Street. At the time, no one knew who it was. The case stayed cold while Kayla’s family kept searching and hoping.
It was only later, after DNA testing, that police confirmed the truth. The body was Kayla.
According to the family, the way she died has made the pain even harder. Sabrina spoke about the impact on Kayla’s children and the kind of goodbye they will never have.
“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.
Kayla’s daughter was just 5 years old, and her son only 2, when she vanished.
The family is asking for justice. They want the person responsible to come forward and face the law.
By: Paisley Rae Thompson