A month after a Michigan landlord found a child’s foot sticking out of a shallow backyard grave, authorities believe they know who put the boy there — and she was found in metro Atlanta.
Brandee Pierce, 41, had been arrested twice in Georgia since late December, including once for allegedly endangering her 3-year-old son. She was already in the Cobb County jail when Detroit authorities announced Wednesday that they believe she killed her 9-year-old son, Zemar King III, and buried him in her Michigan backyard before relocating to the Peach State.
The boy’s body was found Jan. 6 as the landlord prepared the property for new tenants, Wayne County (Michigan) prosecutor Kym Worthy said. Pierce had lived there only for a short time.
Investigators determined that Zemar died sometime in October and his cause of death was smothering and neck compression, the prosecutor said. Authorities said they believe Pierce bought a shovel and then bound her son’s hands and feet together before digging a hole and covering the child with dirt. An alleged motive was not disclosed.
At some point, Pierce made her way to Georgia after renting an SUV in Illinois on Oct. 31, which she allegedly failed to return and ultimately led to her most recent arrest.
Her first run-in with Georgia police came Dec. 20, when Brookhaven officers arrested her on a charge of second-degree cruelty to children, court records show. According to police, they were called to an area near a Dollar General on Buford Highway, where someone reported a child being left unattended in a vehicle for an extended period of time.
“Upon arrival, officers located a 3-year-old child who was unclothed and alone inside a locked vehicle that was not running despite temperatures being in the low 40s,” spokesperson Lt. Jacob Kissel said in a statement.
Investigators said Pierce had left the boy in the vehicle while attempting to sell blood plasma at a nearby facility. Donors can earn money in exchange for plasma, which is commonly given to people in trauma situations to help stop bleeding.
Kissel said the child was taken into the custody of the Division of Family and Children Services, and Pierce was arrested.
“The swift actions of our officers may have prevented further harm to this child,” Brookhaven police Chief Brandon Gurley said in a statement.
By Jan. 1, Pierce was released from jail, records show. Her bond amount was not stated.
Ten days later, Cobb police arrested her on a theft charge after the car rental company reported her leased 2023 Toyota Highlander as stolen, according to court records.
Cobb police were alerted to the vehicle being spotted near Cumberland Mall on Jan. 10 and found it in the parking lot, Pierce’s arrest warrant states. She told authorities she was facing homelessness after moving to Georgia, so “she kept the vehicle as shelter until she got back on her feet,” the arresting officer wrote in the warrant.
“She did, however, advise that she was working on returning the vehicle sometime before (Jan. 31),” the officer added.
Pierce remains in the Cobb jail, and Detroit authorities said they plan to request her extradition to Michigan. There, she will face several charges, including first-degree murder, first-degree child abuse tampering with evidence and concealing and interfering with the death of an individual.
A lawyer for Pierce could not be reached for comment.
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