Consuela initially thought Jeffrey had taken Jozlynn out, but after searching all day, she reported them missing to the police at 9:30 pm. Jeffrey had a history of drug abuse, homelessness, and run-ins with the law, including a past protection order from Consuela. Although they seemed to be reconciling, Consuela was actually trying to get Jeffrey to leave before Jozlynn disappeared. She also suspected Jeffrey of abusing Jozlynn. Jeffrey wasn’t Jozlynn’s father and had no legal rights to her.

Two days later, police arrested Jeffrey in Lansing, Michigan. He confessed to killing Jozlynn in their home and disposing of her body in a dumpster. The dumpster had already been emptied, and the search for her body among 200,000 pounds of garbage at a waste-to-energy plant was unsuccessful. It’s likely her body was incinerated.

After the arrest, Child Protective Services (CPS) took Jozlynn’s brother into care due to concerns about the situation. Consuela lost custody of her son due to drug use in the home, her mental health issues, and failure to protect Jozlynn from Jeffrey.

Jeffrey gave conflicting accounts of Jozlynn’s death, first claiming she fell down the stairs, then saying he suffocated her during a tantrum. He even tried to blame Consuela. At trial in October 2010, he admitted causing her death but claimed it was accidental. The jury found him guilty of second-degree murder, sentencing him to up to 90 years in prison. He’s appealing. Jozlynn’s body has never been found.