A mother from Detroit has been charged with murder after allegedly killing her 9-year-old son, Zemar King III. According to prosecutors, Brandee Katrice Pierce, 41, is accused of smothering and choking her son before burying him in a shallow grave in her backyard and leaving the area.
On Wednesday, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced multiple charges against Pierce, including first-degree murder, child abuse, and evidence tampering. If found guilty of the most serious charge, she could spend life in prison without a chance of parole.
The investigation began when a landlord discovered human remains while preparing a rental property for new tenants on January 6. The landlord saw a foot believed to belong to a child sticking out from a shallow grave and promptly contacted the police, who uncovered the body.
Authorities have identified the remains as those of Zemar King, who they believe was killed in October 2024. The cause of death was determined to be smothering and neck compression.
It’s alleged that Pierce bound her son’s hands and feet before burying him. By early November, she had left the Detroit home with her 3-year-old son and moved to Cobb County, Georgia.
Worthy expressed her outrage over the case, stating, “I have seen many disturbing cases, but the details of this child abuse case are particularly horrifying.”
Pierce was later found by Brookhaven police in Georgia on unrelated charges on December 20. Following this, detectives in Georgia communicated with their Detroit counterparts, leading to Pierce’s arrest on January 10 in connection with her son’s death. The Wayne County Prosecutor’s office is working on having her returned to Michigan.
Currently, there is no information available regarding an attorney for Pierce, who is recorded as homeless in court documents from Georgia.
