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Detroit mother charged with murder after 9-year-old son's body found in shallow grave

By Amber Eikenberry
Published  February 5, 2025 8:57am MST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit

Detroit mom charged in son's murder

A Detroit mother was arrested in Georgia on suspicion she murdered her 9-year-old son before burying him in the backyard of the home she was living in before fleeing the state.

The Brief

    • Brandee Pierce is accused of killing her 9-year-old son and burying his body in her Detroit yard in October 2024.
    • Pierce was arrested in Georgia, where she moved with her 3-year-old son after the murder.
    • She is now facing multiple charges, including murder and child abuse.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A mother is accused of murdering her son before burying him in a shallow grave in Detroit and fleeing the state, authorities said.

Brandee Katrice Pierce, 41, is now charged with first-degree murder, first-degree child abuse, felony murder, tampering with evidence, and concealing the death of an individual for allegedly killing 9-year-old Zemar King III.

Brandee Pierce

The backstory:

According to Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, Pierce allegedly murdered King and then bought a shovel, dug a hole behind the garage of her rental home on Woodingham, and buried his body in October 2024. King's hands and feet were bound, Worthy said. An autopsy showed that the child died from neck compression and being smothered.

Zemar King III

"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 then allegedly fled to Georgia with her other son, who is 3.

King's body was discovered on Jan. 6 when crews working at the rental home noticed a foot sticking out of the ground. 

Related

Police sift through missing person reports after human remains found in shallow Detroit grave
article

Police sift through missing person reports after human remains found in shallow Detroit grave

Crews renovating a west side Detroit home made a grim discovery Monday afternoon: remains buried behind a house. They are now looking at missing person reports to try to match the remains to a person.

Though the body wasn't found until this year, Pierce became the focus of police in Georgia on Dec. 20, 2024, because of an investigation into an unrelated matter involving her 3-year-old son. The Cobb County Sheriff's Office in Georgia contacted Detroit police and assisted with the investigation into King's murder.

What's next:

Pierce was arrested on Jan. 10 and is awaiting extradition to Michigan.

Her surviving son is in foster care, Worthy said. 

The Source: Information in this story is from Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy. 

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