DETROIT – Detroit police said they could tell something wasn’t right before they discovered the body of a 3-year-old boy inside a freezer in the basement of a home.
The discovery was made around 1 a.m. Friday (June 24) at a home in the 12700 block of Monte Vista Street, near the intersection of Grand River Avenue and Fullerton Street on Detroit’s west side, police said.
Officers were called to the home for a welfare check, according to Detroit police Chief James White. He said the occupant tried to push the officers away, as if nothing was going on.
“The discovery would not have been possible without the officers’ intuition,” White said. “When they talked to the occupant of the home, they recognized that there was something not right about the conversation and the way this occupant was communicating with them.”
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White said the officers called for a supervisor. It was determined that the body of a child, estimated to be 3 years old, was decomposing in the basement freezer. It’s unclear how long the body was there.
“This case has shocked me, has shocked our investigators,” White said.
There were five other children at the home, police said. They were taken to a nearby hospital to be checked on, and then they will be interviewed, according to Detroit police Capt. Kimberly Blackwell.
“The other kids who were in the home -- just imagine what they must have gone through and what they must have endured, being inside of that home,” White said.
Blackwell said the child’s 30-year-old mother was taken into custody.
Homicide investigators will lead the case, with help from the child abuse division, Blackwell said. Detroit police are also working with Child Protective 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 home,” White said.
Blackwell reiterated that any parents who are struggling can always call the police department for assistance.
You can watch the full police briefing below.
