A Michigan mom was accused of torturing and murdering her three-year-old son, whose body was found in a freezer. 

According to People, the child's mom, Azuradee France, 31, has been charged with murder, first-degree child abuse, torture, and concealing a death.

France reportedly pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges on Sunday. The Michigan mom's next hearing is scheduled for July 8, the prosecutor's office said.

Detroit Police Chief James White described the boy's death in a news conference on Friday as "a tragic case" and said it was "something that no one should have to see."

According to some reports, family members identified that Michigan boy as Chase Allen and that he was blind. France has five other children who reside with her in her home in Detroit.

 "Just imagine what they [other kids] must have gone through and what they must have endured being inside of that home," White said.

White confirmed that a child's body was found decomposing inside the freezer in the home's basement. He said police officers felt something was wrong when Azuradee France suddenly acted oddly and responded in a way meant to push the cops away as if nothing wrong was going on.

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Michigan Mom Allegedly Tortured and Killed Her Son Whose Body Was Found in Freezer

The boy's decomposing body was discovered at around 1 p.m. on Friday when police officers were dispatched to a home in Monte Vista Street in Detroit to conduct a welfare check on a child.

During the welfare check, the home was found to be in poor condition, and it raised concerns for the five children living there. 

The kids were all taken to a local hospital for physical evaluation, and a child psychologist will also interview them. Child Protective Services (CPS) will reportedly be placing the children in foster homes.

Worthy said this case has shocked him and the investigators. Prosecutor Kym Worthy noted that the "alleged facts" of this case have "astounded even the seriously jaded."

She added that "our children" continue to be at risk, not only from gun violence but also from "the alleged murderer that lives in the house with them."

CNN reported that investigators were still unsure at this point how long the toddler's body was in the freezer or when or how he may have died. But the medical examiner's office ruled the boy's death a homicide.

Meanwhile, the accused Michigan mom's mother, Toni Haynes, told The Detroit News that she and other family members had previously warned CPS about her daughter.

However, she said they would visit Azuradee France's home but eventually "give her kids right back to her." Haynes noted that she became suspicious when France told her the toddler had burned his hand on a plateful of noodles, so she called CPS again.

Haynes noted that the Michigan mom also told her after the CPS visited her daughter's home several times that the boy had gone to live with his paternal grandfather's girlfriend in Coldwater. However, she said the grandfather told her that Chase was not living with his girlfriend.

Child Abuse in the U.S.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at least one in seven children in the United States have experienced child abuse or neglect.

CDC reported that it is likely an underestimate as many cases are unreported. A total of 1,750 children died of abuse and neglect in the U.S. in 2020.

The CDC said the rates of child abuse and neglect are five times higher for children in families with low socioeconomic status. It noted that experiencing poverty could place a lot of stress on families, which may raise the risk for child abuse and neglect.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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