Nearly a decade ago in Armada, Michigan, 14-year-old April Millsap was tragically murdered while walking her dog. She sent a text to her boyfriend saying she had almost been kidnapped, but moments later she was attacked, beaten, and killed in an attempted sexual assault. Her body was discovered by joggers hours later in a drainage ditch, with signs of blunt force trauma and asphyxiation. Despite no DNA evidence at the scene, a crucial piece of evidence emerged from April’s phone. Data from a fitness tracking app indicated that after her murder, her phone was moved at high speed and then dumped. This data, along with a boot print found on April’s body matching James VanCallis’ shoe, implicated him in the crime. VanCallis, initially a person of interest, denied involvement but was later convicted of first-degree murder, felony murder, kidnapping, and assault with intent to commit sexual penetration. He received a life sentence in 2016.
How a Teen Helped Solve Her Own Murder 10 Years Ago: Revisiting the April Millsap Case
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