The Grim Sleeper: Ayellah Marshall

In this episode of Hunting 4 Answers: In February 2005, 17-year-old Ayellah Marshall from Hawthorne, California, vanished after leaving her baby daughter in her parents’ care. For years, authorities believed she had run away—until 2010. That's when her ID and photographs were discovered in the home of one of Los Angeles’ most notorious serial killers, the Grim Sleeper. Her fate remains a mystery, and her case is still open. If you have any information about Ayellah Marshall’s disappearance, contact the Hawthorne Police Department at 310-349-2700 or the LAPD Grim Sleeper Task Force at 877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247).

This is the story of Ayellah Marshall. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hunting for Answers is a production of The Black Effect
Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. Welcome to Hunting for Answers, a
true crime podcast. I'm your host Hunter, and today we're
highlighting a case that started in February two thousand and five,
leaving several questions till this day. A seventeen year old

(00:23):
mother from Hawthorne, California, left her infant daughter with her
parents and walked out of a medical facility. She was
never seen again. For years, everyone believed she'd simply run away,
but in the summer of twenty ten, police made a

(00:44):
chilling discovery that would forever change how her case was viewed.
Inside the home of one of Los Angeles's most prolific
serial killers, they found her ID card hidden among belongings
from other victims. This is the story of Aila Marshall.

(01:13):
Ayla Marshall was born on April twentieth, nineteen eighty seven.
By early two thousand and five, she was seventeen years old,
raising her baby girl. She lived in Hawthorne, California, a
city in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County.
She's described as standing around five feet six inches tall,

(01:35):
with black hair, brown eyes, and pierced ears. She has
several distinguishing features, including a birthmark near her left eye
in multiple tattoos, the name Sorry on her upper right shoulder,
a rose on her upper left thigh, a heart with

(01:56):
the name Jeffrey on her right thigh, and a panther
on thigh left side of her upper back. Aila was
a student at Hawthorne High School, but like many teenagers,
she struggled. She'd gotten involved with drugs and reportedly had
a history of running away from home. Tuesday, February first,

(02:21):
two thousand and five, that was the last day anyone
saw Ala Marshall. She was at the medical facility in Hawthorne.
Before she left, she made the decision to leave her
baby daughter in her parents' care, then walked out and vanished.
At first, police didn't treat Ayla's disappearance as suspicious. Given

(02:47):
her history of running away and her struggles with substance abuse,
authorities assumed she'd left voluntarily. Her parents, though worried, had
seen this pattern before. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned
into months, then years. Aila never came home, she never called,

(03:13):
and she never reached out to see her daughter. For
five years, the case went cold. Another young woman who
seemingly disappeared into the streets of Los Angeles, but everything
changed in the summer of twenty ten. July seventh, twenty ten,

(03:34):
Los Angeles police arrested fifty seven year old Lonnie David Franklin, Junior.
He was a former garbage collector and mechanic who lived
in a modest home on West eighty first Street in
south central Los Angeles. Franklin was suspected of being one
of the most brutal serial killers in Los Angeles history,

(03:56):
a man the media had dubbed the Grim Sleep. The
nickname referred to the apparent fourteen year hiatus between his
killing Spreees investigators later determined that he never stopped committing
crimes during that time. He had allegedly murdered at least

(04:17):
ten women in one teenage girl between nineteen eighty five.
In two thousand and seven, he targeted women's society, often
overlooked African American women struggling with addiction or connected to
street life. When detectives executed a search warrant on Franklin's home,

(04:39):
what they found was beyond disturbing. In his garage, tucked
inside a mini refrigerator that prosecutors would later describe as
his trophy case. They discovered hundreds of items, including personal
belongings and ID cards. One of those idea belonging to

(05:01):
Aila Marshall. Police also found her driver's license in photographs
of her inside a van. Suddenly, AILA's disappearance wasn't just
a runaway case anymore. It was potentially a homicide. Hidden

(05:21):
throughout Franklin's house were nearly one thousand photos and hundreds
of hours of video. The images depicted African American women
and girls, some appearing conscious, others appearing sleep or unconscious.
Investigators described many of the images as showing women in

(05:42):
vulnerable states. The women ranged in age from teenagers to
middle aged and older. Detectives believed a number of them
were additional victims, women who had never been officially connected
to Franklin. In an effort to identify them, the LAPD

(06:03):
released approximately one hundred and eighty of the photographs to
the public. Even now, dozens of the women in those
images remain unidentified. So who was Lonnie Franklin Born on
August thirtieth, nineteen fifty two. He worked for the City

(06:23):
of Los Angeles as a garbage collector. Was married and
had children. Neighbors described him as friendly, but behind closed doors,
Franklin led a far darker life. According to court records
and LAPD case files, Franklin's crime stretched from nineteen eighty

(06:46):
five to two thousand and seven, Targeting women in South
Los Angeles, often near Western Avenue. He assaulted them, shot them,
and dumped their bodies in eyess or vacant lots. His
spree of crimes began in nineteen eighty five and continued

(07:08):
for more than two decades. The supposed fourteen year break
was a myth. Prosecutors later stated they believed that he
killed at least eleven people during that period and may
have had as many as twenty five victims in total.

(07:28):
In February twenty sixteen, Franklin's trial began. Ballistics linked bullets
found in multiple victims to the same twenty five caliber
weapon tied to him. DNA evidence connected Franklin to several crimes.
Photographs and videos discovered in his home provided further proof.

(07:51):
On May fifth, twenty sixteen, the jury convicted Franklin of
ten murders in one attempted murder. On June sixth, they
recommended the death penalty. And on August tenth, twenty sixteen,
he was formally sentenced to death. Aila Marshall was not

(08:13):
among the victims he was convicted of killing. Despite the
discovery of her id and photographs in Franklin's possession, prosecutors
determined there wasn't enough evidence to charge him. In ALA's case,
her body was never found, no DNA, nobilistics, no witnesses.

(08:34):
Her case remains unsolved. Aila wasn't the only missing woman
potentially connected to Franklin. Investigators believe he may have been
involved in the disappearances of Catherine Davis, Rosalid Giles, Lisa Knox,
and Anita Parker, women who like Aila, struggled with addiction

(08:59):
or had to street life in frequented areas near Franklin's home.
Without remains or concrete evidence, no charges were filed. On
March twenty eighth, twenty twenty, Lonnie David Franklin, Junior, was
found unresponsive in his cell at San Quentin State Prison.

(09:23):
He was sixty seven years old at the time of reporting.
The cause of death was not immediately released. Later coverage
confirmed no signs of trauma, and officials said the cause
was pending an autopsy. No foul play was suspected, but
the official cause was never made public. He died before

(09:48):
his appeals were exhausted, and without ever revealing what happened
to the women who were never found. Today, Aila would
be thirty eight years old. Ayla's case remains open with
the Los Angeles Police Department. She is listed in the
National Missing and Unidentified Person System under case number MP

(10:12):
six three four five. She is also listed with the
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children under the case
number one zero three six one five two. Authorities continue
to investigate her possible connection to Franklin. If you have
any information about Aila Marshall's disappearance, please contact the Hawthorne

(10:35):
Police Department. If your tip relates to her possible connection
to Lonnie Franklin Junior, you can also reach out to
the LAPD GRIM Sleeper Task Force. Their contact information can
be found in the description box below. As we close
out this episode, remember sharing AILA's story can help bring

(10:57):
more awareness to our communities, lead to answers for investigators,
enclosure for her loved ones. Don't forget to click the
follow button to stay updated on Alla's case and others
like it. Be sure to subscribe to Hunting for Answers
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(11:17):
and TikTok for more true crime content and case updates.
Thank you so much for joining us on another episode.
Until next time. Hunting for Answers is a production of

(11:41):
the Black Effect Podcast Network. For more podcasts from the
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