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London Thomas, 17.
Charla Pendergrass, 49, of Clawson, and her son, Jalen Pendergrass, 23, of Inkster, have been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jalen’s ex-girlfriend, London Thomas, 17, of Detroit, who was found inside a bin in an SUV.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said London was last seen around 4 a.m. on April 5, when she was dropped off at Jalen Pendergrass’ house in the 27260 block of Carlysle Street in Inkster. The two had been in a relationship that had ended before she arrived at the house.
Later that day, London’s sister reported her missing to the Inkster Police Department. The following day, her mother reported her missing to Detroit Police.
Inkster Police were soon joined in the investigation by Detroit Police, the FBI, and the Michigan State Police.
On April 26, authorities received information from a male acquaintance of Charla Pendergrass, who said she had called him earlier in the month to help transport a sealed plastic bin to an SUV on Millard Street in Southfield.
That same day, Michigan State Police joined the FBI and Detroit Police on Millard Street, where the missing teenager’s body was found in the bin. She died from asphyxia.
Jalen and Charla Pendergrass remain in custody, facing charges of second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.
Their arraignment is set for Friday at 9 a.m. in Inkster’s 22nd District Court.
“I am proud of the excellent work that has been done in this case. It has taken countless hours of investigation and diligent work by the Michigan State Police, the Detroit Police Department, and the FBI. As a result of that work, we have been able to charge and bring the perpetrators of this cruel and deadly crime to justice,” Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement.
