Mother faces murder charge in case of 9-year-old boy's body found in shallow grave in Detroit
(CBS DETROIT) — A Detroit mother is facing charges in connection with the death of her 9-year-old son, whose remains were discovered about a month ago.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison called a "shocking" case, the worst he had seen in more than 25 years in law enforcement. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy offered a similar assessment during a press conference Wednesday at the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center.
"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," she said.
On the afternoon of Jan. 6, the prosecutor said, the landlord of a home on Woodingham Drive called Detroit Police Department to report a foot sticking out of the ground, as if in a shallow grave. Construction workers made the discovery.
Detroit Police officers determined they were the remains of a child in the backyard.
The body was that of 9-year-old Zemar King, and the date of his death was determined to have been Oct. 24, 2024, according to the prosecutor's office. The medical examiner's office ruled the death homicide by smothering and compression to the neck.
The child's mother, 41-year-old Brandee Katrice Pierce, had moved to Georgia with a 3-year-old son when the discovery happened. In the meantime, the Brookhaven Police Department in Atlanta investigated Pierce on an unrelated matter regarding the preschooler and alerted Detroit Police of that case.
After the discovery of Zemar's remains, the Detroit Police Department — assisted by Cobb County Sheriff's Office in Georgia — arrested Pierce Jan. 10 in connection with the child's death. She is now being extradited to Michigan, according to reports at the press conference, and the 3-year-old is in the care of Child Protective Services.
Pierce is facing five charges, including first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree child abuse, tampering with evidence and concealing the death of an individual.
Zemar's father was contacted before the press conference Wednesday; he alleged that he only knew recently of the child's death.
Additional details about the case will be entered in court records during the preliminary exam, the prosecutor's office said.
