"Go Big Bro, Go!"

On January 30th, 2023, my life changed & my heart became numb forever. I lost the most important person in my life after searching endlessly for her for 72 hours with our older brother by my side. Adriana Davidson is a name that some of you may say to yourself “well, that name sounds familiar.” More than likely, you heard about her disappearance & the worldwide news headlines that were all over the country and others. Adriana Davidson was born on June 27th, 2007 & she was my the most precious little girl. I knew at the age of 11 that one of my roles in life is to lead her in the right direction and to protect her. From moving to Michigan at the age of 6 with a single mother of 2 at the time to attending 13 different public schools to living in a shelter for 2 years of my middle school life while no one knew, I’ve always remained strong. I remained strong because I knew that no one else was going to do it for me. I was always the kid who loved doing his homework right away and receiving good grades to come home to show no one. I learned quickly that if I want my life to be different from those around me, I need to continue to keep my head down, stay in school, & work to save up as much money as possible for when I’m old enough to be on my own. I mowed lawns & shoveled driveways like it was my 9-5 since I was 8.

I was suspended in 3rd grade for buying jewelry from the quarter machines at the grocery store to then sell them for students' lunch money. I worked overnight at a factory as a machine operator from 10pm - 6am during my sophomore year to help pay bills. I’d go right to school and then to football practice & then home to get about 3 hours of sleep just to do it all over again. I’ve had many teachers, principals, and coaches who have helped shape me into the man that I am today & I’m extremely grateful for them. I was expelled from my high school in my senior year and was told that “You'll never be anything in life. You will end up back in the trailer park or jail.” That next day, I went to Lansing, MI and tested out of every class that I needed to graduate. I graduated high school while all of my friends were beginning their senior year. I was working 60+ hours a week working two jobs while juggling an endless amount of things while being my mother's caregiver with my brother.

?I always had a dream of going to college & being the first in my family to do so. I attended a community college for one day. I went to my first class where on the first day the professor ordered us to read 80 pages and bring back a 10 page paper in two days. I knew at the time that what they wanted wasn’t what I envisioned for myself. I left and never looked back. I went on to work multiple jobs while trying to figure out what I loved. I decided after two years that I would give it another try. I enrolled back into that community college and became a full-time student while working full-time. I left my care sales job at the age of 20 where I brought home $86,000 in less than a year to attend school. I went on to earn a 4.0 throughout my two years & got accepted into my dream college, The University of Michigan all while working for iHeart Radio & a bar near my house. There is SO much to my story that I could share with you but this is enough about me. After 5 years of endless headaches, thoughts of wanting to give up, 18 wasted credits, & moving to Chicago, I did it. I GRADUATED COLLEGE!!!!

But…… None of it felt good or mattered to me. The reason that I went to college was to show my little sister that if I can do it, then she can too. This little girl was 6 years old building vending machines out of cardboard boxes. She had a deep love for animals that I’ve never seen someone have. I knew for a fact that she’d grow up to become a veterinarian or some sort of engineer and so did she.

On January 27th, 2023 I was working and got a call from my brother saying that our sister is missing & hasn’t been home in over 24 hours with no contact to anyone. Her phone was found on school grounds at Pioneer High School where she was last seen. Adriana Davidson was on the bus on her way to school & had gone missing but there was no footage from the school's cameras that could confirm that she ever got off the bus. There was footage of her on the bus as well as the bus pulling into the school but the cameras “cut off” as the bus parks. My sister was found dead at the top of the football bleachers on January 30th. That whole time…. The whole time she was on school grounds & the city told me no when I had a search team with drones & rescue dogs ready to go. My post isn’t intended to put the city of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County Sheriff’s, or the school district on blast. My post is me being vulnerable & opening up about the pain that myself, my family, and my sister's friends have to live with for the rest of our existence because of their lack of care. My brother & I created hundreds of flyers & spent endless hours hanging them up and handing them out all around the city. It truly seemed that strangers were more worried about my baby sister than the law was. I had to graduate and walk across the stage without the most important person being there. I wore her necklace & ring around my neck and although she wasn’t there right next to me, I could feel her & know that she was there with me spiritually.

I know this post is all over the place so let me get to the point. Call your loved ones. Tell them you love them. Enjoy the time, every single second. You never know what could happen & how fast that individual could be ripped away from you. Watch what you say as you never know what others around you are going through. My little sister deserved to be protected & she deserved to grow old and experience life. I’m not used to death so this one has forever destroyed me. I have you on my mind 24/7 and know that we will reconnect someday. I pray for healing & for guidance through these tough times. It’s been 4 months since her passing and still no answers…. I miss you so much kiddo. My whole life and everything I do will be for you and in your name. I promise you that I’ll forever scream #JusticeForAddy ???? I love you.