It’s hard to describe what it feels like when someone you love goes missing. The sense of uncertainty and loss that comes along with such a terrible situation are thankfully not something that everyone has to live through. Nevertheless, it happens more often than you might think.
In March of 2016, Stephen McAfee went missing without a trace. A year later, and investigators from the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office were still working hard for McAfee’s family, but it seemed to no avail. Then, finally, a girl walked into the police station with new and pertinent information…
A Cold Year
Despite following up on numerous tips, thousands of missing person posters, and the offer of a substantial reward, Stephen McAfee’s case had been cold for nearly a year. The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office had exhausted all efforts and McAfee’s family had even hired a private investigator. Some believed he had simply run away and hidden off the grid.
A Witness
That is, until March of 2017, when a young girl walked into the department with some rather shocking news. The girl, a recent college graduate, was friends with someone named Eevette MacDonald, who had confided in her that she knew exactly where Stephen McAfee was. She also knew who had killed him.
Coming Clean
Ms. MacDonald was quickly brought in and admitted that she had helped her ex-boyfriend, Andrew Fiacco, dispose of McAfee’s body. She added that Fiacco had shot him in a wooded area near Bruce Township. Fiacco and MacDonald were placed under arrest and soon, the college freshman began relaying the sordid tale to the police in all its gory detail.
High School Sweethearts
To understand the situation, MacDonald needed to explain how it all started. Fiacco and she had begun dating at Romeo High School. She was only 15 at the time but waited until she was 17 before she moved into Fiacco’s parent’s home to live with her boyfriend. She and Fiacco knew Stephen McAfee, he was Fiacco’s friend, after all.
Dangerous Jealousy
Fiacco had introduced McAfee to MacDonald on several occasions and as a result, would routinely accuse her of sleeping with him. Though she denied it, the accusations got so bad that he eventually even drove her to McAfee’s house to ask his family members if they recognized her. They did not, but that hardly seemed to matter to Fiacco.
Disappearance
On March 10, 2016, Fiacco and McAfee were embroiled in yet another argument. He was angry that she was going to Florida to visit a friend. Eventually, accusations of her infidelity with McAfee resurfaced, as they always did. Later that night, she woke up around 2 a.m. to find Fiacco missing.
Missing Boyfriend
After checking both the basement and their garage, she discovered that Fiacco’s car was missing. Thinking he’d just gone out to cool his head, she returned to sleep. The next morning, Fiacco was back and told her that he and McAfee had hung out a gas station in the middle of the night, just to talk. He added that he’d dropped him home before he’d come home himself.
How Would She Feel
MacDonald didn’t think anything of it. That is, until she came back from Florida a week later and learned that McAfee was missing. She wanted to ask Fiacco about it but feared to show too much interest might initiate another fight. Eventually, she did ask and he returned her question with one of his own; “How would you feel if Stephen was gone, if he was dead?”
Self Defense
The conversation rested from there until about a month into his disappearance, when Fiacco told her that he’d killed McAfee. According to him, McAfee has seen something relating to the mafia on Fiacco’s phone. Since Fiacco was allegedly a “technical guy for the mafia,” he had no choice but to shoot McAfee to protect his secrets. He had to shoot him in self-defense.
Terrifying
At first, she didn’t believe that Fiacco could actually kill anybody, much less his friend. So he decided to show her the proof. He took his brother’s gun and drove her to the scene. After driving around the area and searching around the woods for a bit, Fiacco found the body. MacDonald was absolutely terrified.
The Body
MacDonald couldn’t look at the face of her former friend. Fiacco insisted, however, and forced her to look down at it, explaining that everyone needs to see a dead body at some point in their lives. As she was being held at gunpoint, she did as she was bid. The two then left but returned soon after with an ax and a duffel bag.
Cut-Up About It
Fiacco explained that since the Mafia knew what they saw, she would have to help him dispose of the body. Ms. MacDonald was then forced to dismember McAfee’s body at gunpoint. This was where the story gets murky, because in the same breath, she says she never made contact with the body, but that Fiacco did the dirty work and put the body parts into the bag in the trunk.
No Leaving
Fiacco, meanwhile, took three things from the body: McAfee’s watch, headphones, and a vape. He kept these things in their bedroom. Eventually, their relationship fell apart and Fiacco tried to kick MacDonald out of the house. Unfortunately, she still had McAfee’s body in her trunk. She wasn’t going unless he took care of what needed to be done.
Disposal
He reminded her that she needed to keep up a protection contract with the Mafia and finish the job. So the two of them bought a bucket and quick cement and buried the body at the edge of a nearby treeline. They then burned the duffel bag in a firepit and forgot the whole thing ever happened…until they broke up.
Breaking Up
Two weeks later, Fiacco and MacDonald parted ways. She moved back into her father’s house and the former couple stopped talking regularly. Nevertheless, Fiacco would routinely send her texts reminding her to keep quiet, or else. Even if she tried to block his number, he’d call back from different numbers.
Mafia Worries
The police weren’t sitting on their hands this whole time, however. They interviewed both MacDonald and Fiacco in September of 2017, but both denied knowing what had happened to McAfee. MacDonald would eventually tell the police that the reason she’d lied was that she was afraid of Mafia reprisals.
Confided
In MacDonald’s mind, she and her family were safe under the Mafia protection contract as long as she remained silent and also as long as she stayed with Fiacco. MacDonald knew she had to come clean to someone or she’d go mad keeping the secrets and worries inside. So she told a friend…who went right to the cops.
Evidence
Once MacDonald spilled her guts, the police went over to Fiacco’s home and arrested him as well. They then found the remains of lower extremities and a skull buried near the home. Hey found the rest of the lower jaw bone and McAfee’s clothing in another location. It was a pretty open-and-shut case.
Her Charges
In the end, Eevette MacDonald was charged with disinterment which amounts to a 10-year felony. In addition, she is also being charged with accessory after the fact and lying to police. Both felonies combined make for another 9-years in prison if she is found guilty. Her lawyers are currently fighting for lesser charges.
Fiacco’s Charges
Fiacco himself was charged with first-degree murder, disinterment, and mutilation of a dead body. They also tacked on some charges of lying to a police officer and felony firearms violations. He was found guilty and could be sentenced for up to 37 years in prison. Sentencing will be held in May of 2018.
