The mom of the 3-year-old boy who was found in a freezer by Detroit police officers was arraigned at the 36th District Court on Sunday, June 26. Officers responded to a home in the 12760 block of Monte Vista for a wellness check on a child on June 24 at 12:45 a.m. Police said that upon checking the residence, they found the body of 3-year-old Chase in the freezer.
Zy'ar Anderson, Chase's cousin, told Fox 2 Detroit that God knows how they are feeling. She added that she knows Chase is in a better place right now. Azuradee France was identified as the mother of the deceased 3-year-old boy. The medical examiner determined the young child's death to be a homicide.
The Wayne County Prosecutor has charged the 31-year-old France with First-Degree Child Abuse and Torture and Concealing an individual's death. She was arraigned on Sunday and remanded to jail.
Vigil held for young Chase
A vigil was held later that night to say goodbye to little Chase, according to Local 4. Betty Jenkins, the boy's great-great-grandmother, said in an interview that his death is tough to swallow, but they will pull through God's grace.
It is still unclear right now how Chase was killed and how long he has been dead. According to Chase's neighbor Cheryl Hardy, France told her Chase had gone to Alabama. She said they had family there to take care of the kid, which required a lot of attention, and Hardy believed her.
Family members also said that Child Protective Services (CPS) had been called at least 13 times this year, but each time, they were unable to make headway and were not allowed inside the home of France and Chase.
Neighbors also said that the 3-year-old boy was blind and had some other disabilities, but those were not listed. A relative said that the mother could not deal with her son's disabilities, and they told her to give Chase to them if she couldn't deal with it. A relative described Chase as the sweetest one in the family.
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Young boy's body was found decomposing in basement freezer
Detroit Police Chief James White told reporters that the young boy had been decomposing when he was found. He credited the first two officers who responded for following their instinct to go to the home of France and locate the boy.
White said in the press briefing that the discovery would not be possible without the officers' intuition. He added that they recognized something was wrong with how the occupant communicated with them. White said the people at home tried to turn the officers away while talking with them.
The police chief said the boy's body was found in the basement of the home, inside a freezer, the New York Daily News reported.
