DETROIT (WWJ) -- A 41-year-old Detroit woman is being held without bond after being arraigned Friday morning on multiple murder charges for allegedly killing her 9-year-old son and burying him in their backyard last October.
Brandee Pierce is charged with First-Degree Murder, Felony Murder, First-Degree child abuse and two other felonies.
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.
At Pierce's arraignment in 36th District Court on Friday morning, prosecutor Tina Ripley argued that she be held without bond.
"The facts in this case are nothing short of egregious," Ripley said. "Zemar King was a 9-year-old child who was treated like he was a piece of garbage. He deserved better," Ripley said.
Ripley said in April of 2024 Pierce and her two children went to a hospital for help and CPS got involved. The 9-year-old told CPS that his mother "chokes him and wants to kill him," Ripley said.
According to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, the landlord was preparing the house on Woodingham 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 Oct. 24, 2024, Brandee Katrice Pierce fatally assaulted her son, Zemar, and then buried him in the backyard.
On Nov. 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 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.
A not guilty plea was entered on behalf of Pierce. If convicted, she faces up to life in prison.