A mother was arrested after her 17-month-old son was found dead in a resort room over the weekend.
On the morning of Sunday, May 17, police in Flagstaff, Arizona, responded to reports of a possible dead baby at the La Quinta Inn & Suites resort, about two miles from the city center, Fox 10 Phoenix reported.
The child’s mother, Ochra Manakaja31, called 911 shortly after 9:30 a.m. local time and said her son had died. When the operator asked her what had happened, she responded, “I killed him,” and hung up, AZ Family reported.
Officers found the boy’s body wrapped in a bag inside a clear plastic box. They also found two other children, ages 9 and 7, in the room, but they were unharmed.
According to the outlet, Manakaja told police that, in frustration, she threw the toddler in his crib on April 29 because he was crying and complaining. The boy’s symptoms worsened and he reportedly developed a fever on May 1, but his mother did not seek help for fear of legal problemsaccording to court documents.
After checking him, he found him face up, with his eyes closed and not breathing, according to AZ Family. The mother told police she believed she had choked after vomiting in the morning after the other children had left for school.
He remembered that day because he didn’t want to leave, but he had to take a drug test since he was on probation for driving under the influence, the outlet reported. After the test, supposedly She wrapped her son’s body in a blanket, covered it with plastic, sealed it with duct tape, and put it in the freezer.where he left it for two weeks.
Manakaja expressed remorse, saying he had “messed up” and that his son did not deserve to die, AZ Family reported. Police reported Monday, May 18, via Fox 10 Phoenix, that Manakaja had been arrested on charges including first-degree murder, child abuse and concealment of a corpse.
The 31-year-old woman appeared in court that same day and was booked into the Coconino County Jail on $1 million bail.
Court records, according to Fox 10 Phoenix, show Manakaja has a criminal history that includes aggravated assault and drug possession.
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