My dad was murdered in Tuscaloosa in 2001.
The case went cold.
I’m speaking out—for him, for me, for others who are waiting for justice.
This is Michael Crossland in the summer before he died in 2001.
Cold Case Summary
Michael Jerome Crossland was born on November 21, 1959, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and died on December 22, 2001, in the same city. Nathaniel Tubbs was put on trial for felony murder and first-degree robbery in connection with the death of Michael Crossland. The prosecution argued that Tubbs and an unknown man referred to as "Pop" went to an apartment on December 21, 2001, to rob and beat two people because of a drug debt. They argued that "Pop" beat Crossland with a baseball bat while Tubbs robbed another man. Crossland died the next day from massive head trauma. However, the jury could not reach a verdict on whether Tubbs was responsible for Crossland's death, leading to a hung jury. Tubbs remained out on bond, and the charges against him were not dropped as the case remained open.
The Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit is still actively seeking to identify and find "Pop".
Michael Crossland Cold Case Newspaper Archives
For a long time, I didn’t talk about it—not really. I moved forward, built a life, started a business, became a mom. Grief didn’t stay quiet. It showed up in strange places. In work meetings. In flashbacks. In the quiet parts of the day when I wasn’t expecting it.
Years later, I ended up selling my agency to a firm in Tuscaloosa—without knowing that one of our new clients would be the police department that once handled my dad’s case. The detective who managed it remembered everything. He still had the file. That was the moment things shifted.
Since then, I’ve been writing and gathering the pieces of my story. I’ve been following my own memory like a trail—through interviews, art, voice notes, old folders, and backroads I hadn’t driven in decades.
This is about what happens when a case goes cold, but the person left behind keeps growing.
This is about what grief looks like when it has to fit into work calendars and bedtime routines.
This is about returning home, asking hard questions, and making something beautiful with whatever answers you find.
What can you do?
Reading about what happened to my dad and I means the world. Thank you.
- You can do more by sharing and talking about the case.
- You can submit an anonymous tip if you know something.
- You can send me a message of encouragement and support to [email protected] .
- You can send love and kindness to someone in need.
Each of these things helps more than you know.
Keep updated about the case and the healing journey.
Please submit your information before to be on the list.
What you know makes a difference.
Share an anonymous tip.
Know something about the case? You can submit an anonymous tip to the Tuscaloosa Detectives
Listen to an excerpt from our family story: 'A Portrait'
For more from Andrya Allen, order the memoir-in-verse Lightwork
Lightwork:
Words from an Activator
This collection is a transformative journey with the raw, bold memoir-in-verse poetic style of author Andrya Allen. Her debut collection topped Amazon’s 100 best seller list for poetry and inspirational collections.
