Detroit mom accused of killing 9-year-old son, burying him in backyard to be arraigned Friday

FOX 2 - A Detroit mother accused of killing her 9-year-old son and burying him in the backyard, will be arraigned in court Friday morning.

Brandee Katrice Pierce, 41, will appear in 36th District Court after 10 a.m. before Judge Delphia Burton.

Pierce, 41, of Detroit, has been charged with the homicide of her nine-year-old son, Zemar King. The medical examiner ruled the victim’s death a homicide from smothering and compression to the neck after his body had been exhumed from the home's backyard.

On January 6, 2025, at approximately 1:22 p.m., Detroit police officers were dispatched to a residence in the 19700 block of Woodingham for reports of found human remains.

The landlord called the police because he was working at the house to prepare for a new tenant when he discovered a shallow grave. Upon their arrival, officers discovered the remains of a deceased child buried in the backyard of the home.

Investigators say that October 24, 2024, Pierce fatally assaulted her son, Zemar, then buried him in the backyard of the home. On November 6, 2024, she abandoned her rental home and left the state for Georgia with her 3-year-old son.

On December 20, 2024, the Brookhaven Police Department in Atlanta, Georgia, investigated Defendant Pierce on an unrelated matter concerning her surviving son and alerted the Detroit Police Department.

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

The Detroit Police Department assisted by the Cobb County Sherriff’s Office investigated the homicide of Zemar and arrested her in Georgia in connection with his homicide on January 10, 2025. More complete facts and evidence will be placed on the record in court at the preliminary examination.

"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," said Prosecutor Kym Worthy in a release. "The alleged actions of this defendant are among the most callous I have seen and hope never to see again."

Pierce has been charged with first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree child abuse, tampering with evidence, and concealing the death of an Individual.