A woman from Arizona is facing charges of 21 felonies, including two murders, after the death of her 16-month-old child. The infant was found inside a tote bag in a plastic box at an Arizona hotel.
The 32-year-old Ochra Manakaja was arrested on May 17 after a 911 call in which the woman reportedly said, “I killed him” before hanging up the phone. The man’s body was later found during a police search.
According to court documents, the woman admitted she pushed the infant into his crib on April 29 when he refused to stop crying. In the days that followed, she failed to provide the boy with proper care. On May 1, when the man stopped breathing, Manakaja is accused of keeping the child’s body inside the freezer for almost two weeks before informing the authorities.
The woman has been charged with first and second-degree murder, abandonment of a body, and 18 cases of child abuse.
Two more kids, who were under Manakaja’s custody, a 7-year-old and a 9-year-old, were placed out of her custody once she got arrested.
Currently, it is unknown whether Manakaja has hired legal representation and how she will plead in court.
