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In its upcoming episode, Lifetime's #TextMeWhenYouGetHome is all set to revisit the brutal April Millsap case from 2014. The incident shook the town of Armada, Michigan, after April Millsap was beaten and stomped to death near a popular hiking spot, Macomb Orchard Trail.
On July 24, 2014, 14-year-old April took her dog for a walk on the trail, where she encountered James VanCallis on his motorcycle, who made a move on her. According to multiple witnesses, VanCallis was seen around the trail that day, and one witness even saw him with Millsap.
A case was soon built around the evidence, which also included a sketch from witnesses.
James VanCallis was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2016.
Who was April Millsap and what happened to her?
April Dawn Millsap was a 14-year-old who lived with her family in Armada. At the time of her death, she had just finished middle school and was preparing for high school in the fall of 2014.
April loved animals and enjoyed playing with their pet dog. She lived a seemingly normal life till the fateful day of her encounter with James VanCallis.
On July 24, 2014, Millsap took her dog for a walk around 5:30 pm. However, when she did not return for hours, her mother grew anxious and reported it to the police. Around 8 pm that night, two joggers found April's body in the woods. She had shoe prints on her body and her clothes were partially off.
An investigation into the death soon revealed that she was stomped to death. She reportedly suffered blunt force trauma and asphyxiation due to a compressed neck.
After the investigation into the case began in full flow, numerous witnesses stepped in to testify. Witnesses allegedly spotted a man on a motorcycle around the teen. One witness even claimed that they saw the same man acting suspiciously around the spot where April Millsap's dead body was found. Soon, a composite sketch of the suspect was made public.
April's cellphone was located in a rural residential area and went on to become key evidence in the case. Sometime before her death on July 24, April had texted her boyfriend that she was almost about to get kidnapped. Authorities allegedly claimed this was not long before April was attacked.
Soon, authorities found a bike that matched the witness's description outside VanCallis' home. He also matched the suspect's description. Along with other pieces of evidence, including footage from a security camera and the location of April's phone, VanCallis was pinned for the murder of April Millsap.
Though there was no physical evidence of the crime, VanCallis was connected to the crime using cell phone location. He was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for the murder, kidnapping, and attempted assault of April Millsap.
Prosecutor Eric Smith said:
"April was a special young lady that touched so many lives throughout our community. It was an honor for our team to seek justice on behalf of her family. We were proud to have named one of our victim advocacy spaces ‘April Millsap Memorial Conference Room"
James VanCallis remains in custody at Carson City Correctional Facility in Montcalm County, Michigan.
