MI LONDON THOMAS: Missing from Inkster, MI - 5 April 2025 - Age 17 *Found Deceased**ARREST*

Detroit police want help finding missing 17-year-old girl

Police are seeking information about a 17-year-old girl who went missing in Inkster.

www.clickondetroit.com

Detroit police want help finding missing 17-year-old girl​

Police are seeking information about a 17-year-old girl who went missing in Inkster.

London Thomas left her residence Saturday (April 5) on Margareta and Five Points streets and hasn’t been seen since.

Thomas was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black leggings, and pink ‘Crocs’.

“She calls me for everything, and I haven’t heard from her, and I know something is not right,” said Thomas’ father, Cedric Salisbury.

Salisbury said her sister dropped her off at her boyfriend’s house on April 5 in Inkster, and that was the last time she was seen.

Friends and family are organizing a search party at noon on Saturday at Cooper Upper Elementary School.

The community is invited to join the search efforts.


MEDIA - LONDON THOMAS: Missing from Inkster, MI - 5 April 2025 - Age 17

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Family and friends honor London Thomas on what would have been her 18th birthday

Friends and family of London Thomas gathered to honor her life on what would have been her 18th birthday. It comes after her body was found weeks after she went missing.

www.wxyz.com

Family and friends honor London Thomas on what would have been her 18th birthday​

Friends and family of London Thomas gathered to honor her life on what would have been her 18th birthday. It comes after her body was found weeks after she went missing.

"I'm joyful just because I know it's her birthday and this is what she would have wanted. Any 18-year-old would have loved this," said her mother, Jasma Bennett.

Bennett had to bury London on the same day she gave birth to her.

"It's a waking nightmare to have your child that you carried for 10 full months to be ripped away from you," said Bennett.

London went missing in early April and was last seen in Inkster. Her body was found weeks later in Southfield. Right now, there's no word on her cause of death.

London's father, Cedric Salisbury, says this is the hardest thing his family has had to face.

"We thank everybody who gave us the time to try to find London, we hate that everything happen the way it happen but today we just need justice," said Salisbury.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Case refiled for woman accused of lying to police in London Thomas death investigation. Here’s why

The case against the woman accused of lying to authorities in connection with the investigation into 17-year-old London Thomas’ death was dismissed and refiled on Wednesday.

www.clickondetroit.com

Case refiled for woman accused of lying to police in London Thomas death investigation. Here’s why​

The case against the woman accused of lying to authorities in connection with the investigation into 17-year-old London Thomas’ death was dismissed and refiled on Wednesday.

Charla Pendergrass, 48, of Clawson, was charged with lying to a peace officer during a violent crime investigation as authorities were investigating the 17-year-old’s death. She faces up to four years in prison for this charge.

That case, which had been filed in the 22nd District Court in Inkster, was dismissed on Wednesday, June 18.

According to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, the case was refiled in the 34th District Court because Van Buren Township is the location where the alleged lying to police had happened.

Pendergrass is scheduled to appear in court again on Wednesday, June 25, for a probable cause conference.


“Between April 5, 2025, and April 24, 2025, it is alleged that Defendant Pendergrass failed to tell the truth to FBI agents while they were conducting a criminal investigation into the death of London Thomas,” according to a previous release from the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

London Thomas murder: Charges dismissed against boyfriend's mother

According to the prosecution, she was charged with lying to a peace officer, but the person she allegedly lied to, a federal agent, is not licensed as a peace officer in Michigan.

www.fox2detroit.com

London Thomas murder: Charges dismissed against boyfriend's mother​

At the request of prosecution, charges were dismissed Monday against a woman accused of lying to investigators during the investigation into the disappearance and death of London Thomas.

Charla Rashida Pendergrass, 48, was charged with lying to a peace officer for comments she made to police after the teen's suspected murder earlier this year. However, that charge was dropped after prosecutors noted that the person she allegedly lied to was a federal agent. According to the prosecution, a federal agent does not meet the definition of a "peace officer" under Michigan statute, so the case could not proceed.

However, the case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning that Pendergrass could be recharged in the future.


Thomas' boyfriend was considered a person of interest in the teen's disappearance and murder. However, he has not been taken into custody, and police have not provided an update on the investigation.

 

[Kimster]

London Thomas murder: Charges dismissed against boyfriend's mother

According to the prosecution, she was charged with lying to a peace officer, but the person she allegedly lied to, a federal agent, is not licensed as a peace officer in Michigan.

www.fox2detroit.com

London Thomas murder: Charges dismissed against boyfriend's mother​

At the request of prosecution, charges were dismissed Monday against a woman accused of lying to investigators during the investigation into the disappearance and death of London Thomas.

Charla Rashida Pendergrass, 48, was charged with lying to a peace officer for comments she made to police after the teen's suspected murder earlier this year. However, that charge was dropped after prosecutors noted that the person she allegedly lied to was a federal agent. According to the prosecution, a federal agent does not meet the definition of a "peace officer" under Michigan statute, so the case could not proceed.

However, the case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning that Pendergrass could be recharged in the future.


Thomas' boyfriend was considered a person of interest in the teen's disappearance and murder. However, he has not been taken into custody, and police have not provided an update on the investigation.

Oh brother! Okay, then the feds can arrest her. Let’s go!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Finally!

London Thomas' boyfriend and his mother charged in connection with her murder

Wayne County prosecutors have charged two people in connection with the disappearance and death of 17-year-old London Thomas.

www.cbsnews.com

London Thomas' boyfriend and his mother charged in connection with her murder​

Wayne County prosecutors have charged two people in connection with the disappearance and death of 17-year-old London Thomas.

Thomas' boyfriend, Jalen Pendergrass, 23, and his mother, Charla Pendergrass, 49, of Clawson, are currently in custody and have each been charged with second-degree murder.

Thomas' body was found in Southfield on April 26, 2025, in the area of Millard Street near Berg Road. Her body was discovered inside an SUV parked in the driveway of a home. A medical examiner determined that Thomas died from asphyxia and ruled the manner of death as homicide.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

London Thomas murder: Boyfriend denied bond, mom given $5 million bond

Charges against London Thomas' boyfriend and his mother come six months after the teen was murdered.

www.fox2detroit.com

London Thomas murder: Boyfriend denied bond, mom given $5 million bond​

The suspects accused of murdering 17-year-old London Thomas in Inkster earlier this year were arraigned on murder charges Friday morning.

Thomas' boyfriend, Jalen Pendergrass, 23, and his mother, Charla Pendergrass, 49,were arrested this week and charged with second-degree murder and tampering with evidence.

Jalen Pendergrass was initially considered a person of interest in Thomas' disappearance and murder but was never charged, while his mom previously faced charges that were dropped.

An Inkster judge set Charla Pendergrass' bond at $5 million cash after the prosecution said she "engaged in an extended campaign to life to police" when she was first questioned.

Jalen Pendergrass was denied bond. According to the prosecution, he has another pending case out of Oakland County for making a false report of a felony. While out on bond for that case, he allegedly was arrested for driving under the influence, though he has not been charged.

"It's been an emotional roller coaster," said Cedric Salisbury, London's father. "We just kept our faith. We believed this day was going to come. We all knew that they did something, and we're just happy that the light has been shone."


"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," Worthy said.

The suspects are due back in court Oct. 22 for their probable cause conference.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Mom Accused of Orchestrating ‘Campaign to Lie’ to Police After Allegedly Helping Son, 23, Kill His Teen Girlfriend

Charla and Jalen Pendergrass are facing multiple charges in connection with the death of 17-year-old London Thomas. On Friday, Oct. 17, the prosecutor's officers accused Charla of engaging in 'an extended campaign to lie to police' to hide her involvement in the murder, per WXYZ.

people.com

Mom Accused of Orchestrating ‘Campaign to Lie’ to Police After Allegedly Helping Son, 23, Kill His Teen Girlfriend​

A mother is being accused of repeatedly lying to law enforcement while trying to cover up the alleged murder of her son's teenage girlfriend in Michigan.


During their arraignment hearing in Wayne County, the prosecutor’s office accused Charla of showing a “willingness to be deceptive.”

"This is a case where I believe the evidence will be abundant that both defendants, but particularly Ms. Charla Pendergrass, engaged in an extended campaign to lie to police, lie to law enforcement to cover up her actions," said the prosecutor’s office in video footage from the hearing, per WXYZ.

The prosecutor demanded a high cash bond as a result of the serious nature of the charges.

A man claiming to be Charla’s friend alleged to police that she asked him to “transport a sealed plastic bin.” He said he placed the bin in the SUV, where Thomas’ remains were eventually found on April 11, per WXYZ.