DETROIT (WWJ) – A 31-year-old Detroit woman is facing murder and other charges after her 3-year-old son’s body was found stuffed inside of a freezer last week.
Azuradee France was arraigned Sunday on charges of felony murder, first-degree child abuse, torture and concealing the death of an individual.
Detroit police were called to a home in the 12760 block of Monte Vista – near Meyers Road and I-96 on the city’s northwest side – around 1 a.m. on Friday, June 24 to conduct a welfare check for a young child.
When officers showed up, they found the remains of a 3-year-old boy in a freezer. Family members have identified the boy as Chase Allen, according to a report from The Detroit News.
The medical examiner determined the boy’s death was a homicide. Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged murder. How the child was killed was not clear.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy on Sunday said in a press release “the alleged facts in this case have astounded even the seriously jaded.”
"Our children continue to be at risk — not just from gun violence but also from the alleged murderer that lives in the house with them,” she said.
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Neighbors told WWJ Newsradio 950's Ryan Marshall that there is also a man that lives in that house, along with four to five children. They also said that they've seen the kids playing outside, and they didn't appear to be abused.
The News reported a state child advocate entered the home on Friday with police officers and the woman who answered the door “acted strangely” so they called for a supervisor.
When they entered, they found five children “living in squalor,” along with the boy’s body in the freezer. The other children are now reportedly in the care of Child Protective Services.
Family members say Child Protective Services had been called about the mom before, resulting in France being charged with 3rd-degree child abuse, which was later reduced to the 4th-degree.
France served two years of probation due to the charges. But family members are saying that the signs of abuse were there all along.
Detroit Police Chief James White said during a press conference Friday “this case has shocked me, and shocked our investigators.”