Eyesore of the Week

1423 W. Malcolm X St., Lansing

This red-tagged property along Interstate 496, about two blocks west of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, was one of 26 that was up for auction from the Ingham County treasurer Tuesday  (Oct. 21) at the Lansing Center. Anyone who bid on it did so with the understanding that they were dealing with a property with a rather gruesome backstory.

In May 2024, Lansing police found the dismembered body of Zaccari Marquise Taylor in the home’s basement. Three men were charged in connection with the murder, one of whom took a plea deal two months ago, while the others’ cases are pending.

The home, a rental owned by Charles Hawkins Sr. and Jessen Ayers, was also damaged by a fire about three weeks later, after which time it was red-tagged and placed in foreclosure last April.

The two-story, 1,232-square-foot, three-bedroom, one-bath home was built in 1915. An open house was held for prospective buyers Oct. 14. It was up for auction in September but was not purchased. The opening bid this time, however, was just $6,000, making it more appealing as a restoration project.

Ingham County Treasurer Alan Fox said he didn’t think the damage from the fire was structural. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it sells at auction now,” said the day before the event. “We’ve sold other properties where murders have taken place … and even one where the scuttlebutt was that bodies were buried in the backyard.”

Readers can view this property and others that were available by going to bippususa.com.

—    STEVE UNDERWOOD

“Eyesore of the Week” is our biweekly look at some of the seedier properties in Lansing. It rotates with Public Art, by Bill Castanier. Have a suggestion? Email eye@lansingcitypulse.com  or call in a nomination at 517-999-5061.