A Predator’s Rage: The Brutal Murder of April Millsap
On the evening of July 24, 2014, fourteen-year-old April Millsap set out for a walk along Michigan’s Macomb Orchard Trail with her dog Penny in tow, just as she had done countless times in the past. On this occasion, however, only one of them would make it home alive.
Sometime after 7 p.m., a young couple hiking the same route noticed a nervous and clearly distressed dog pacing back and forth up ahead. When they stopped to investigate, they stumbled upon the body of a young woman lying just off the trail. The state of her remains told them instantly that her death had not been accidental.
Officers from the Armada Police Department were quickly called to the scene. A cursory examination of the body revealed that the victim had been subjected to a brutal assault prior to being killed. The top she was wearing was torn, as were her shorts and underwear, which had been pulled down around her ankles. The right side of her face and neck bore the imprints of the sole of what appeared to be track shoes. Curiously, the cell phone she carried with her at all times was missing.
As officers were processing the area, a woman identifying herself as Jennifer Millsap showed up looking for her daughter April, who had failed to return home after leaving the house with the family dog. Accompanying her was a teenage boy…
