Neighbors speak out after Detroit woman is charged with killing her 9-year-old son
(CBS DETROIT) - A gruesome story unfolded late last year in Detroit. Now a mother is facing charges after prosecutors allege she killed her 9-year-old son.
Neighbors of 41-year-old Brandi Katrice Pierce are speaking out after Pierce was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree child abuse, tampering with evidence and concealing the death of an individual in the death of her 9-year-old son, Zemar King.
"If you don't want the child, don't have a child or give a child to people who want children. But to hurt a child, you are sad. ... real sad," neighbor Michelle Morris said.
The news of a Detroit child allegedly being killed by his mother sparked many reactions Wednesday.
This investigation began in January when a landlord preparing his home on Woodingham Drive in Detroit for a new tenant reportedly found a foot sticking out of the ground.
"The police immediately went out to the house and were shown that grave by the owner of the property," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy stated.
The remains found were identified as those of Zemar King. Officials believe Zemar died on Oct. 24, 2024, and the medical examiner's office ruled the death homicide by smothering and compression to the neck.
"She (Pierce) never really came out; those kids never came out. I have seen her come out with the 3-year-old child, but I've never seen the oldest child," Morris said.
Morris lives nearby and finds the latest news gut-wrenching. Pierce reportedly left for Georgia in November with her other child, a 3-year-old boy.
CBS News Detroit has learned the mother ended up having a run-in with police near Atlanta after someone reportedly spotted the toddler alone in the car with no clothes on.
That incident led to a welfare check. Police in Brookhaven, Georgia, say Pierce was attempting to sell plasma nearby.
"Very rarely you even saw her, so when she moved in, it was already starting to get cold," Morris said.
Neighbors in Detroit say the family only lived in the home for a few weeks before leaving.
Prosecutors say Zemar's father has since been notified. It's believed the child had been buried since October.
"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," Worthy said.
Pierce will be extradited to Michigan. CBS News Detroit has learned that Pierce's 3-year-old son is in foster care.
