Amy Jacobson 
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PALATKA, Fl – In 2003, Robert and Melanie Belton, to their delight, learned they were expecting their 5th child. Shortly into the pregnancy, the Beltons were informed that their baby showed signs of Downs Syndrome and an abnormal heart. It was recommended that they have an abortion. Mrs. Belton told the doctor, “I will keep her just like God gave her to me.” Her doctor supported this decision and, on November 17, 2003 in Berlin, Germany, the Beltons welcomed an 8-pound, perfect and healthy, little girl, Ayana Grace, into the world.
Ayana and Family Move to The United States
Three years later, Mr. and Mrs. Belton packed up their family of 7 and moved to the United States, where Mr. Belton was from. It did not take long for young Ayana to transition into her new life. She started at a Head Start Program and made friends. Ayana proved herself a great student with good grades, graduating middle school as one of the top 8th graders. This would continue throughout her school years, all the way into high school.
Mrs. Belton describes Ayana an easy going and laid back but with a fire inside of her and the biggest smile. Ayana had a “big heart, quiet and sweet.” She was a good child, never giving her parents any problems. Her friends describe her as shy and quiet, but very kind. She was a happy child. Her freshman year of high school went by without incident. She enjoyed being in band, where she played the drums, and the Photography Club.
In her free time, Ayana loved to make YouTube videos, chat online with her friends, and play Fortnite with her brothers. She liked watching shows like All Americans and The 100 on Netflix or listening to music from XXXTentacion and Juice Wrld.Like most typical teenagers, she loved fast food, specifically Wendy’s and Dunkin Donuts.
Ayana also loved swimming and family vacations. She was close with all of her siblings but especially close with her older sister Denisha and younger brother Jaremiah with whom she shared secrets.
Ayana and Anthony
In her sophomore year, Ayana met Anthony Foxx, Jr., who was a little under 3 years older than Ayana. Mrs. Belton felt like something was off about Foxx but could never put her finger on what it was. The two dated throughout that year. While the family could see problems in the relationship, noticing Ayana and Foxx arguing a lot, they never saw anything that pointed to Ayana being in danger. When asked what the arguments were about, Ayana told her mother that Foxx was always talking to other girls and possibly cheating.
After months of being off and on, Ayana started talking to another boy, getting emotionally involved. This seemed to anger Foxx. He began to threaten and stalk Ayana. Her parents asked him many times to leave her alone but he kept on. This led to the Beltons changing Ayana’s cell number, at Ayana’s request, and switching her school to get her away from him. Unknown to the Beltons, these steps did nothing to help.
Mrs. Belton feels that her daughter still cared for Foxx and tried to continue a friendship. Messages found after the death of Ayana point to this conclusion. Messages also indicated that Foxx planned to kill Ayana, but she didn’t seem to take them seriously and instead brushed off the threats. The evening of March 26, 2020, she agreed to meet up with him.
A Parent’s Worst Nightmare
The day of March 26 started like any other. Mr. and Mrs. Belton went to work. Schools closed due to Covid lockdowns, the Belton children stayed at home. That evening, the Beltons had dinner together, as a family.
Mrs. Belton was cleaning up after the meal when she noticed Ayana was not around. She searched the house for her daughter. Ayana had snuck out. Mrs. Belton called her daughter’s phone and asked her to come home. Ayana complied and told her mother she would, but Ayana didn’t return.
Fifteen minutes after the phone call, there was a knock on the door of the Belton home. Foxx was standing at the door, covered in blood. Foxx told them that Ayana was dead. At first, he claimed Ayana had been shot but quickly changed his story to say that she had been stabbed.
Mr. Belton ran to where Foxx said Ayana was, finding his daughter lying on the side of the road about 100 yards away from the front door of the Belton home. Ayana had been stabbed multiple times and died at the hospital.
At approximately 8:35 p.m., Palatka Police Department were called to the area of Hussan Avenue and Pink Orchard Way. It didn’t take long for the police to put the pieces together and, within the hour, Foxx was named the suspect.
Nineteen years old at the time of the incident, Foxx was indicted on murder in the first degree. Foxx went to trial in December 2022. The trial lasted two days, December 6 and 7. On December 7, 2022, Foxx was found guilty as charged on First-Degree Murder and, on January 3, 2023, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
In a letter written by Mrs. Belton and read as part of the victim impact portion of the sentencing, we learned that Ayana “loved babies” and was “beyond excitement when she heard her sister was having a baby.” And it’s the small things that will be missed. “I miss Ayana like I have never missed anybody in my life,” her mother wrote. “I miss seeing her in the kitchen, standing up, eating cereal…She liked standing up, leaning against the counter, enjoying her cereal.”
Ayana’s father, Robert Belton, spoke of his daughter at the sentencing as well. Mr. Belton spoke of how “it hurts when you have somebody in your heart but no longer physically present with you or your family.” He expressed the difficulties of trying to “understand why so precious a person as [his] daughter, Ayana, died so [brutally], with 124 stabs” and how “without God’s grace, I would never endure such pain and loss, my family and I.”
For Ayana’s family, the conviction of Foxx gives some release but, as her mother says, “it doesn’t bring her back. [Their] lives are shattered, and Ayana is gone, [her] family is incomplete without her.”
Remembering Ayana, Always
The Belton family will always miss their beautiful Ayana, but they have found ways to keep her memory alive, both privately and publicly. Ayana was interested in the medical field. She dreamed of going to the University of Florida in Gainesville with the goal of becoming an ARNP (advanced registered nurse practitioner). In her memory, they set up the Ayana Grace Belton Nursing Memorial Scholarship Fund (https://bold.org/funds/ayana-grace-belton-nursing-memorial-scholaship-fund) to help others live this dream.
Mrs. Belton runs a Facebook page in memory of Ayana (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091905277695). There she shares her daughter with the rest of us. And then, there are the more personal ways to keep Ayana around. Ayana’s sister, Xavier, shared a picture of a beautiful quilt made out of Ayana’s clothing.
Her classmates and high school also found a way to keep Ayana alive. Ayana would have graduated in 2022. During the ceremony, attended by her family, a friend of Ayana gave a speech and a friend’s sister read a poem written for Ayana.
I can’t forget to mention how grateful I am that I was trusted with telling you this story. I have had the honor and privilege of getting to know Ayana through her mother’s words. I’ve spent so much time reading and re-reading those words, looking at social media posts, and scrolling through photos sent to me by Mrs. Belton, two of which are posted on the wall next to me at this moment.
Ayana may have been taken from this world way too early, but she clearly made the world a better place during the short time she was here. The love she shared continues to make the world a better place and her memory will never die.
Dating Violence: Information and Resources
Ayana’s life was taken by a romantic partner. According to the 2019 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 1 in 12 U.S. high school students experience physical dating violence. A 2013 study of 10th graders (found in the Journal of Adolescent Health) found that 35% had been either physically or verbally abused, and a 2005 study showed that 57% of teens know someone who has been physically, sexually, or verbally abused in a dating relationship. If you, or someone you know, has experienced abuse, there is help. If you have a teenager that’s dating, three are resources available for you to discuss this difficult but important topic.
The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV) has easily accessed information including fact sheets and other valuable information at www.ncadv.org.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24/7 and can be reached 3 ways. Chat is available through the website, https://www.thehotline.org. One call at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Or, you can text ‘START’ to 88788.
For information and hotlines aimed specifically towards teens, please visit or contact the organization love is respect (https://www.loveisrespect.org). They can be reached by texting ‘LOVEIS’ to 22522, called at 1-866-331-9474 (1-800-787-3224, TTY) or live chat through their website. Their one-on-one, confidential, and real-time services are available 24/7.
Nicely put, Thanks a lot.
Highly descriptive blog, I loved that a lot. Will there be a part 2?
It took me a while to get court transcripts due to appeals, but I have them and will be going through them for a part 2 where I go more in depth of what led to Ayana’s death.
You could definitely see your enthusiasm in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart.