On July 24, 2014, 14-year-old April Millsap was murdered while walking her dog on the Macomb Orchard Trail in Armada, Michigan. James VanCallis Jr. was convicted of the crime and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Millsap’s body was found in a drainage ditch near the trail by a couple out jogging who were alerted by her dog, Penny, whimpering in the nearby woods.
The high-profile murder of 14-year-old April Millsap in 2014 remains one of the most shocking crimes in Michigan’s recent history, captivating national attention due to its brutality, the small-town setting, and the innovative use of technology in solving it.
April Millsap was an eighth-grader at Armada Middle School, described by her family as outgoing, athletic, and close to her loved ones. On July 24, 2014, around 6:30 p.m., she left her home in the quiet village of Armada (population ~1,700) to walk her border collie, Penny, along the popular Macomb Orchard Trail—a scenic, multi-use path for hiking and biking. This was a routine she followed almost nightly.
April texted her mother, Jennifer Millsap, and her boyfriend shortly before 7 p.m., with her last message reading, “I think I almost got kidnapped.” She never returned home.
Over 70 officers from Armada Police, Michigan State Police, Macomb County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI set up a command center in a local school. They conducted neighborhood canvasses, drained a nearby pool for evidence (recovering April’s phone), and searched the trail extensively.
also:
How police pieced together April Millsap murder investigation
