Cops Find 3-Year-Old Boy's Body In Basement Freezer, Arrest Mother

Detroit -- A 31-year-old woman in Michigan was arrested after the decomposing body of her 3-year-old son was found in a basement freezer.

Azuradee France was charged with felony murder, first-degree child abuse, torture and concealing the death of an individual following the body's discovery, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced Sunday.

Detroit police officers found the boy’s body while responding to a wellness check for a child at a home on Monte Vista Street on Friday, according to WDIV Local 4.

“The discovery would not have been possible without the officers’ intuition,” said Detroit Police Chief James White, according to the outlet. “When they talked to the occupant of the home, they recognized that there was something not right about the conversation and the way this occupant was communicating with them.”

Police also found five other children living in unfavorable conditions at the house.

“The other kids who were in the home -- just imagine what they must have gone through and what they must have endured, being inside of that home,” White said.

“The house was in poor condition, and there are a lot of concerns for the other children based on what was seen in the home,” he added.

The three-year-old victim's grandmother, Toni Haynes, said her deceased grandchild was named Chase Allen. Haynes had been worried about his well-being before the discovery of his remains.

"I called CPS on her. A lot of us called, and they'd come out and give her kids right back to her,” the Detroit News reported.

Haynes grew suspicious about her daughter after she visited her house several times and asked about Chase. She said France would tell her that Chase was living with her paternal grandfather's girlfriend.

"But then (the grandfather) got out of jail and he told me Chase wasn't living with his girlfriend," Haynes said.

Relatives showed up at France’s house a couple of weeks back and then called Child Protective Services, the grandmother said.

Lynette Hardy, who lived in the area, said she would help France take care of her children but noted that she hadn’t seen Chase since January. France said the boy was in Alabama staying with his uncle and aunt, Hardy told WDIV Local 4.

It is unclear how long the 3-year-old boy's body was kept in the freezer. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said a medical examiner ruled the boy’s death a homicide.

“The alleged facts, in this case, have astounded even the seriously jaded," Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Sunday. "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.”

The five other children found inside the house were taken for a health check and then placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.