DETROIT (WWJ) -- Murder and other charges have been filed against a Detroit mother accused of killing her young son and burying him in the backyard of the family's rented home.
The body of 9-year old Zemar King was found in early January by a construction crew behind a home on Woodingham Street, near Livernois and Outer Drive, on Detroit's west side.
According to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, the landlord was preparing the house for a new tenant when workers discovered the shallow grave.
Detroit Police responded, and confirmed what they'd found were the remains of a child. The Wayne County Medical Examiner later ruled that the boy died months prior by homicide, from smothering and compression to the neck.
According to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, an investigation revealed that that on October 24, 2024, Brandee Katrice Pierce fatally assaulted her son, Zemar, and then buried him in the backyard.
On November 6, it's alleged that Pierce abandoned her rental home and left the state for Georgia with her 3-year-old son.
Pierce was located in Georgia after prosecutors said the Brookhaven Police Department, near Atlanta, was investigating her for a matter involving her surviving son.
Following further investigation involving multiple police departments and the FBI, Pierce was arrested and charged on Feb. 4 with the first degree murder, felony murder, first degree child abuse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the death of an individual.
Worthy's office said complete facts and evidence will be placed on the record in court at Pierce's preliminary examination, on a date not yet set.
“I have been a prosecutor for a long time, and I often say that I have seen it all. The horrors of this child abuse case defy that. The alleged actions of this defendant are among the most callous I have seen and hope never to see again,” said Worthy, in a statement.
Pierce remained jailed in Georgia on Wednesday, awaiting extradition back to Michigan.