DETROIT – Detroit police they said they could say something was wrong before they found out the body of a 3-year-old boy inside a freezer in the basement of a house.
The discovery was made around 1 a.m. Friday (June 24) at a home on Block 12700 on Monte Vista Street, near the intersection of Grand River Avenue and Fullerton Street in The west side of Detroitsaid police.
According to the Detroit police chief, officers were called home for a welfare check James White. He said the occupant tried to push the officers away, as if nothing had happened.
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“The discovery would not have been possible without the intuition of the officers,” White said. “When they talked to the occupant of the house, they recognized that there was something wrong with the conversation and the way that occupant communicated with them.”
The house on the west side of Detroit where the body of a child was found in a freezer on June 24, 2022. (WDIV)
White said officers asked for a supervisor. It was determined that the body of a child, estimated at 3 years old, was decomposing in the basement freezer. It is not clear how long the body was there.
“This case has surprised me, it has surprised our investigators,” White said.
There were five more children in the house, police said. They were taken to a nearby hospital to be monitored, and then interviewed, according to Detroit Police Captain Kimberly Blackwell.
“The other kids who were at home, just imagine what they must have gone through and what they must have endured, being inside that house,” White said.
Blackwell said the boy’s mother, 30, was arrested.
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Homicide investigators will lead the case, with the help of the child abuse division, Blackwell said. Detroit police also work with child protection services.
“The house was in poor condition and there are a lot of concerns for the other children based on what was seen in the house,” White said.
The house on the west side of Detroit where the body of a child was found in a freezer on June 24, 2022. (WDIV) The house on the west side of Detroit where the body of a child was found in a freezer on June 24, 2022. (WDIV)
Blackwell reiterated that any parent who has problems can always call the police department for help.
You can watch the full police briefing below.
Detroit police said they could say something was wrong before they discovered the body of a 3-year-old boy inside a freezer in the basement of a house.
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