A Kalamazoo man is in custody after detectives say the badly decomposed remains of two people were discovered in an exterior shed during home renovations in August 2023. The bodies were later identified as Alfred Oneal Simpson and Tarra Dametria Mayes, according to investigators.
Arrest and charges
On Wednesday, the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety announced that 44-year-old Rajai Keyontae Brown had been arrested on two counts of open murder. The Kalamazoo County prosecutor had authorized the charges earlier this month, and Brown was arraigned the same day. A judge denied bond, and detectives say he is scheduled to return for a preliminary examination on March 4, according to the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.
How the bodies were found
The remains of Simpson and Mayes were discovered on Aug. 22, 2023, inside an exterior shed in the 900 block of North Rose Street after the man who had purchased the property began renovations. Court records and local reporting say both bodies were in an advanced state of decomposition and that evidence suggested the remains had been at the property for a significant period before they were found, as reported by FOX 17.
What investigators say
Detectives say they pieced together phone records and witness accounts that put the victims' last known activity in mid-March 2022 and placed Brown in the same area around that time. Investigators also spoke with a witness who reported that Brown confessed in the spring or summer of 2022 and described a violent struggle. Those details come from reporting that reviewed court documents and forensic findings, according to Law&Crime.
Family reaction
Family members said Mayes and Simpson were in a relationship and had been out of contact for months before their remains were recovered. Mayes' daughter, Aileena Hollin, told WOOD TV that she believed Brown was their housemate and that "he took a mother of two away from her kids," according to reporting by WKRC.
Next steps
Brown remains jailed without bond and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary examination on March 4, when a judge will determine whether the case moves toward trial. Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the KDPS Criminal Investigations Division at (269) 337-8139 or to submit an anonymous tip through Kalamazoo Silent Observer, per the department's release.
