“Maybe God saved him,” she said, her usually high-pitched, energetic voice turning to a whisper. Pell City, Alabama’s Michelle Tumlin has had four years to think about the how’s and the why’s. She’s had every minute, every hour, every day since March 23, 2021, to think about the joys and the sorrows of his 28 years.

“It started in 2014 when he went into the Army,” Michelle told me. “Every time Houston would write me or text me or call me, he would call me ‘Momma Dearest.’ He was such a kind soul — outgoing and funny, and very polite. He was a hometown kid who in the midst of stardom never forgot his roots.”