The search for Malicai Calder came to an end after police found the body of the 27-year-old inside a car and have taken the driver into custody. Malicai Calder had been reported missing since last Nov. 22, and since then, his loved ones had held on to hopes of seeing him again alive.
This hope was short-lived, however, once police discovered that Malicai’s work truck was found on Mulberry Street. Inside, a male, whom police would later discover to be 32-year-old Martel Huggins, was found driving. Huggins was promptly arrested while police continued to process the crime scene. Subsequent investigations confirmed that Malicai had been found with his body partly inside his truck, with injuries to his head. The exact events are, however, still under investigations.
While relatives are grappling with the loss, many are choosing to remember Malicai not because of the tragedy that ended his life but because of the incredible journey that his life was.
The first encounter between Pastor Heather Boone and Malicai took place when the young man was only 19 years old and residing in a shelter in the city of Monroe, in the state of Michigan. She remembered: “Malicai was different from the point of our initial encounter, not because of his circumstances, but due to his kindhearted nature, his respectful manner, and his unshakeable passion to create a better life.”
“He was very polite, very thoughtful, and incredibly driven,” Boone remembers. “Even at a young age, it was clear he wasn’t going to let his circumstances define him.”
Malicai had two part-time jobs while experiencing homelessness. However, he did not give up, even with many obstacles in his way. Through the help of Boone’s church and scholarships, he went on to pursue his education at the University of Toledo. At this esteemed establishment, he continued his pursuits, even attaining a master’s degree. This achievement made him a source of inspiration not only for students at the shelter but also at the same shelter he had stayed at.
His family has also related that Malicai grew up without his mother and was taken care of by his relatives until he became self-reliant. His closest relatives have described him as someone who is the embodiment of generosity because of the hardships he experienced while growing up. His cousin attests, “He is someone who would give out whatever he has to support someone else, even if it means he won’t have anything anymore.”
Malicai’s recent graduation is something of which his whole family could be proud, marking as it did the end of such a long journey and the potential still yet to be realized. However, with the investigation still underway, the family of Malicai is left to mourn the loss of a life cut all too short. They can only hope that his legacy is not solely that of the victim, but of the strong and compassionate young man who touched the lives of all that had the privilege of knowing him.
