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Mother Brandee Katrice and son Zemar King, 9.
Last Oct. 24, authorities allege that Brandee Katrice Pierce fatally assaulted her son, Zemar King, 9, before burying him in the backyard of their rental home in the 19700 block of Woodingham on the city's northwest side.
On Nov. 6, she abandoned her home and left the state for Georgia with her three-year-old son. She was later arrested in Georgia and charged earlier this month with first-degree murder.
Could the death have been prevented?
WXYZ investigative reporter Ross Jones reports that six months before Zemar King was found buried in a shallow grave, he told Children’s Protective Services that his mother choked him, beat him with a belt and wanted to kill him.
He also said that he hadn't been to school in more than a year and he didn't always have food.
The mother was also experiencing serious mental health issues, Jones reports.
Jones reports the mother was the subject of at least four complaints to Child Protective Services since 2015, indicating Zemar's welfare was in danger. In one instance, the mother left her son sleeping in her locked car on a 78 degree day in May for more than 90 minutes while she went to a doctor's appointment.
