A mother is charged with murdering her 3-year-old son after he was found in her basement freezer

On Friday, June 24, at 12:45 a.m., members of the Detroit Police Department were sent to the home of Azuradee France, 31, for a wellness check on a child. Upon entry, France attempted to send officers away, but police ignored her and continued to search the home. In the basement freezer, officers found the decaying body of 3-year-old Chase Allen.

It is unclear to investigators how long the boy was in the freezer or how the boy died. The medical examiner determined Chase Allen’s death a homicide, but the cause of death has yet to be determined.

According to France’s next-door neighbor, Lynette Hardy, Chase Allen had been missing since January 5. France had told Hardy that Allen was living with his aunt and uncle in Alabama.

Inside the home were five other children: a 3-month-old girl, a 2-year-old boy, a 5-year-old boy, a 7-year-old boy, and a 9-year-old girl, according to the family’s Go Fund Me.

The five children were sent to the hospital to be checked and were placed in the custody of Child Protective Services.

Azuradee France was arrested when her son’s body was discovered and on June 26, she was charged with first-degree child abuse, torture and concealing a death, according to CNN.

France remains in custody without bail and has a hearing scheduled for July 8.