Bodies of 2 children found in freezer inside Detroit apartment

Mom in custody; 2 other children in protective custody

DETROIT – The mother of two children whose frozen bodies were discovered in a Detroit apartment has confessed to killing them, Local 4 has learned.

31985036

Recommended Videos



Police Chief James Craig said the bodies of a boy and girl were found just before 11 a.m. Tuesday when a court officer went to serve an eviction notice at a unit in the Martin Luther King Apartments in the 800 block of St. Aubin Street. The bodies were found in a chest freezer.

"Terrible find this afternoon," Craig said. "It was during that eviction process that they discovered two young children in a freezer ... they were inside a bag and appeared to be frozen."

Police have not identified the victims, but said they are a 14-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy.

31985994

Craig said someone else at the apartment complex told police where the mother was.

"From that information from the community member we responded and detained her for further investigation," he said.

How did nobody notice two missing kids? Neighbors told Local 4 News that the children were homeschooled. But that had not always been the case.

Neighbors also said the 11-year-old boy has a twin brother and there is a 17-year-old sibling, who are now in the care of Child Protective Services.

It's unclear whether the children knew about the bodies.

The mother of the children, who Local 4 is not identifying until she is formally charged, was active on social media. Perhaps the most chilling post she made was on Jan. 30, when there is a very real possibility two of her children were lying dead in the freezer.

"There is no greater blessing than being a mom," the post read.

Craig said the key to this investigation is the help from the community.

"People here came forward to help us bring a sense of closure," he said.

The chief added it's too early in their investigation to identify a motive.

Neighbor Tori Childs said the children used to play with her step-children.

"The kids used to come and play with my kids, my step-kids. There were no signs of injuries or any kind of trauma, at all," she said. "I would have never expected this."

Watch: Interview with neighbor of children found in freezer

The Martin Luther King Apartments are off St. Aubin Street between Jefferson Avenue and East Lafayette Street.

31983266