Natayla Morse

Natayla Morse was a loving and driven 24-year-old Black woman who was the oldest of seven siblings. Her family described her as the "kindest soul you could ever meet," a person focused on her work and career. Her mother, Chasity, recalled their last conversation, saying, "The last time I saw her, I hugged her and told her I loved her." Tragically, Natayla died the day before two of her sisters were set to graduate. Her mother told them to walk across the stage for their sister, and they did.

On June 4, 2022, Natayla's body was discovered in a field on Detroit's east side. She was not immediately identified. An investigation by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office determined that she had died from blunt force trauma to her head. Authorities alleged that after killing her, her attacker stole her car and set it on fire.

The investigation, which utilized DNA evidence and 911 recordings, eventually led police to Jonathan Lamont Welch, a 23-year-old man from Detroit. Natayla's family did not know Welch and could not understand how their paths might have crossed. At the time of Natayla's murder, Welch was out on a low bond after being charged with the violent assault and torture of his girlfriend, Zlayiah Frazier.

Days after his release from jail, Welch committed a series of additional brutal crimes. He killed his girlfriend, Zlayiah Frazier, his mother, Flossie Nicole Bray, and his stepfather, Robert Bray Jr. During that incident, he barricaded himself inside his mother’s home, shot at police, and set the house on fire before being taken into custody. It was while he was being prosecuted for those three murders that investigators linked him to the earlier slaying of Natayla Morse.

In March 2023, Welch was charged in Natayla's case with first-degree murder, unlawful driving away of an automobile, and arson. He ultimately pleaded guilty to the slayings of Natayla Morse and the three other victims. In November 2023, Jonathan Welch was sentenced to prison.