Akia Eggleston Was Eight Months Pregnant When She Disappeared — Her Body Was Never Found

The bodies of 22-year-old Akia Eggleston and her unborn baby have never been found. In May 2017 she was preparing for the birth of her second child when Eggleston vanished. She was eight months pregnant at the time and according to friends and family, was ecstatic about having another child. Eggleston was also in the process of moving into a new apartment with the baby's father.

Michael Robertson had promised Eggleston that he would pay for a place to live as well as a new car. Though they decided to enter into this situation as just friends and co-parents, Eggleston was eager to start this new chapter in her life. Ever the go-getter, she even planned her own baby shower in Baltimore where she lived, but sadly never made it to the party. In fact, Robertson neglected to show up as well. Where is he now and what happened to Eggleston? Here's what we know.

U.S. Marshalls arrested Robertson in February 2022 in Michigan, where he had moved in 2017 not long after Eggleston disappeared, per CBS News. "I hope that today's arrest brings some sense and some measure of hope in the first phase in our pursuit of justice for Akia Eggleston," said Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby. "Let me also say this to the people of Baltimore City: Our pursuit of justice is unyielding. We do not give up on the victims of crime in Baltimore City. Ever."

CBS News reported he was subsequently found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in July 2023, and was handed two consecutive life sentences in October. Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates said in a statement, "This sentence ensures that Michael Robertson will no longer be a threat to the safety of others and will spend the rest of his life behind bars for the egregious violence he inflicted upon Akia Eggleston and her unborn child." Unfortunately, Eggleston's body was never found.

Eggleston and Robertson first met sometime in the '90s when his grandmother was babysitting the young girl, via the Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City. The two found each other again in 2016 and began dating despite the fact that Robertson already had a girlfriend who had recently given birth to their second child. He would later claim in court that he and Eggleston weren't actually dating and had only slept together once.

Early in the morning on May 3, Robertson was in Washington, D.C. for work and was communicating with both Eggleston and his other girlfriend. A little before 1:00 p.m., Eggleston stopped by a BB&T Bank location to deposit her paycheck and two money orders. She asked about cashing said money orders as she was just told the new landlord only took cash. "I called u [sic] I got the money order," Eggleston said in a Facebook message to Robertson.

Authorities would later arrest Robertson based on circumstantial evidence that was quite compelling. His cell phone records showed he was in the same area as Eggleston's apartment around the time she disappeared. The day Eggleston vanished, Robertson was Googling things like "where does Baltimore city trash go when picked up" and "Baltimore city landfill." He also never attempted to help search for his missing girlfriend and their unborn baby.

"This case was highly circumstantial but when you have enough circumstances, you have enough puzzle pieces, it makes the case extremely strong and tight and that's what this was," said Assistant State's Attorney Kurt Bjorklund. Eggleston's family said they "continued to grieve" her and her unborn son, but were comforted by the fact that Robertson would never be free.