Honk News (Detroit, MI) – A mother from Detroit faces murder charges following the tragic death of her 9-year-old son, whom she allegedly smothered and choked. After burying him in a grave in her backyard, she reportedly fled the area, as stated by prosecutors.
Brandee Katrice Pierce, 41, has been charged with serious offenses including first-degree murder, felony murder, first-degree child abuse, evidence tampering, and concealing the death of an individual, as announced by Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
Pierce may be sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole if found guilty of the most serious charge.
A set of human remains was discovered in a shallow grave behind a residence on Woodingham Drive on January 6, during the landlord’s efforts to prepare the property for a new tenant. The landlord contacted law enforcement, who uncovered a shallow grave with a small child’s foot protruding from it.
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The remains have been confirmed to belong to 9-year-old Zemar King III, who authorities suspect was murdered in October 2024. Worthy announced at a press conference on Wednesday that the cause of death for the King was determined to be “smothering and neck compression.”
She claimed Pierce subsequently tied her son’s hands and feet and laid his body in the shallow grave she had prepared in the backyard. By November 6, she had left the rental home in Detroit with her 3-year-old son and moved to Cobb County, Georgia, according to Worthy.
“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,” Worthy said in a statement. “The alleged actions of this defendant are among the most callous I have seen and hope never to see again.”
Authorities report that Pierce attracted the attention of the Brookhaven Police Department in Georgia on December 20 due to unrelated allegations.
Authorities in Brookhaven subsequently informed their colleagues in Detroit, leading to her arrest in Georgia on January 10, linked to Zemar’s demise. The prosecutor’s office in Wayne County is pursuing her extradition back to Michigan, according to Worthy.
Details regarding the attorney for Pierce, identified as homeless in Georgia court documents, were not readily accessible.