Akia Eggleston

Case Information:

Akia Eggleston was 22 years old when she vanished from Baltimore, Maryland, on May 3, 2017. An expectant mother who was eight months pregnant with her second child, Akia was high-risk and required consistent medical monitoring.

Her absence was immediately noted as suspicious when she failed to attend her own baby shower on May 7—an event she had been excitedly organizing for weeks.

Consequently, her family reported her missing that same evening, triggering an investigation that would eventually span six years and reveal a dark web of lies surrounding the father of her unborn child.

Disappearance:

The afternoon Akia Eggleston disappeared, she was captured on surveillance footage at a BB&T bank in downtown Baltimore, where she deposited a paycheck and two money orders totaling $450.

Investigators later determined she was withdrawing cash for what she believed was a down payment on a new townhouse she would share with Michael Robertson.

However, forensic analysis of Robertson’s digital activity revealed that the “new home” was a complete fabrication; the photos he sent her were actually images of a random property he found online.

Furthermore, after Akia withdrew the funds, her digital footprint—including all social media and cellular activity—ceased entirely by 6:00 p.m. that day.

Forensic & Evidence:

The case against Michael Robertson was built on a “purely circumstantial” but overwhelming mountain of digital evidence.

Prosecutors revealed that in the days following Akia’s disappearance, Robertson conducted highly specific Google searches regarding Baltimore City’s trash collection schedules and the locations of local landfills.

Specifically, he searched for “where does Baltimore City trash go when picked up” and “Baltimore City waste to energy facility.”

These searches, combined with cell tower data that placed him at Akia Eggleston’s apartment during the time of her death, suggested a calculated effort to dispose of evidence in a way that would make recovery impossible.

The “Two-Woman”:

A central motive presented at trial was the extreme pressure Robertson faced while maintaining two simultaneous domestic lives. He was living with another woman, Hali Pomeroy, with whom he also had children, and who had reportedly issued him an ultimatum to choose between her and Akia.

Prosecutors argued that Robertson, unable to resolve the conflict or afford additional child support, chose to “eliminate” the problem. Testimony from family members also revealed that Akia had been physically confronted by the other woman just weeks before she vanished, underscoring the volatile environment that preceded the homicide.

Arrest & Conviction:

After years of remaining a person of interest while living in Michigan, Michael Robertson was finally arrested in February 2022 and charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

During the 2023 trial, the jury deliberated for less than a day before returning a guilty verdict for the murders of both Akia and her unborn son, whom the family had named Anubis.

In October 2023, a Baltimore City Circuit Court judge sentenced Robertson to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. While the conviction provided legal closure, the judge noted the “horrific” nature of the act, particularly because Akia’s remains had never been recovered.

Apartment Discovery:

When family members first entered Akia Eggleston’s Cherrycrest Road apartment after she went missing, they found a scene that suggested a partial move.

Most of her clothing and a specific dresser were missing, yet her bed and other heavy furniture remained, along with a hole in the wall that looked as if furniture had been shoved through it.

Investigators believe Robertson moved these items out to create the illusion that Akia had moved to the fictitious townhouse on her own. This “staging” of the scene was intended to delay a missing person report, giving Robertson more time to distance himself from the crime.

Physical Identifiers:

Akia Eggleston is described as a Black female who stood 4’11” tall and weighed approximately 145 pounds at the time of her disappearance due to her pregnancy. She had black hair and brown eyes, and a highly recognizable tattoo of cherries on her left shoulder blade.

Because of her high-risk pregnancy, she was unable to walk long distances or drive herself, making the theory that she simply “walked away” or took a bus highly improbable.

Anyone who may have seen a woman matching this description in the Cherry Hill or downtown Baltimore areas in early May 2017 is encouraged to revisit those memories for any overlooked details.

The Search for Anubis:

The loss of Akia’s unborn son remains a central point of grief for the family, who had already begun buying clothes and nursery supplies for his arrival.

During victim impact statements, Akia’s aunt expressed the family’s enduring pain over the fact that neither mother nor son has a final resting place.

They remain dedicated to the hope that, through some breakthrough, the landfill location might one day be sufficiently identified to allow for a recovery effort.

Contact Information:

If you have any information that could lead to the recovery of the remains of Akia Shawnta Eggleston or her son Anubis, please contact the Baltimore Police Department at 443-984-7385.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Maryland at 1-866-7LOCKUP. Even after a conviction, the recovery of Akia’s remains is the final step toward giving her daughter and family the peace and dignity they have been denied for over six years.

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