“I Killed Him”: Arizona Mother Arrested After Killing and Freezing Toddler’s Body For Two Weeks

For more than two weeks, a mother in Flagstaff, Arizona, told her children that their baby brother was away at the hospital or visiting a doctor. In reality, police say, the toddler’s body was sealed in plastic and hidden inside the freezer.

The case came to light on May 17 after 31-year-old Ochra Manakaja called 911 and made a chilling statement to the dispatcher. “I killed him,” she allegedly said before hanging up the call.

When officers arrived at the Arizona hotel room, they found the 15-month-old boy inside a plastic storage container. According to court documents, the child’s body was frozen solid.

Investigators believe the boy had been dead since May 1. Manakaja was arrested on charges of homicide, child abuse and concealment of a dead body.

Court records also state that the child showed signs of severe illness for several days before his death. Investigators said the mother admitted she never sought medical treatment because she feared getting into trouble.

Police said Manakaja acknowledged during questioning that no one else harmed the child. “She acknowledged that she killed her own baby,” court documents stated.

Months before the child’s death, Arizona Department of Child Safety had already investigated concerns involving the family.

The agency said it received a report in December 2024 alleging that the boy was unsafe. According to officials, child welfare authorities later obtained authorization to remove him from the home.

However, the case reportedly took a different course after the mother’s tribe asserted jurisdiction under the Indian Child Welfare Act.

Under federal law, tribes and state agencies can share jurisdiction in child welfare, investigations involving native American children. Once the tribal court assumed control of the case, officials claimed, state child welfare workers were no longer involved in decision-making about the boys, placement, or care.

The child returned to Manakaja’s custody in March 2026, according to officials.

Police said she later admitted that she became violent with the toddler several times after regaining custody. During questioning, she told detectives that she had hit, slapped, and thrown the child on multiple occasions.

According to court filings, the boy’s condition worsened after an incident on April 29. Manakaja allegedly admitted to detectives that she became frustrated after the child cried throughout the morning and threw him into his crib after her older sons left for school.

Investigators said the child landed on his back and cried in pain afterwards.

Over the next two days, according to court documents, the toddler vomited, stopped eating and appeared weak and pale. On May 1, Manakaja reportedly found him unresponsive on a couch after believing he had been asleep for several hours.

When she checked on the child, he was “laying face up with his eyes closed and was not breathing,” court documents state.

Instead of calling 911, police said, she left the child where he was while attending a court-ordered urine analysis appointment connected to a DU probation case

Later, she returned home, wrapped the child’s body in a blanket and plastic, secured it with tape, and placed it in a freezer.

Investigators said she also covered the freezer door with duct tape because she did not want him to smell.

During her interview with detectives, Manakaja repeatedly expressed hatred. “She stated she was mad at herself and hated herself for what she did," court documents read.