Content warning: This article contains details of child abuse, violence and child death.
An Arizona mom has been accused of killing her 15-month-old son and keeping his body in a freezer for weeks before calling the cops and admitting she killed him.
31-year-old Ochra Manakaja called 911 from a La Quinta Inn and Suites near Huntington Road and Bronco Way on May 17 and told a dispatcher, “I killed him,” and hung up.
Officers arrived at the hotel shortly after the call and discovered the toddler’s body wrapped in plastic inside a clear container in the freezer. His body temperature was 26 degrees.
Two other kids, ages 7 and 9, were also found inside the hotel room. They were unharmed and safely removed from the hotel.
Manakaja told Flagstaff police that she threw her son into his crib “out of frustration” on April 29 because he was crying and fussing. Reportedly, her son’s crying woke her up in the morning, and she tried putting him back to sleep. According to the documents:
“He remained fussy and kept touching his stomach as if complaining about stomach pain.”
Police said Manakaja admitted she also “hit” and “slapped” the child during the incident. Mankaja said that the crying got worse after he was “thrown” into his crib. She also stated that her son wasn’t “acting like himself” and began vomiting, refused to eat and looked pale and weak. He also had a fever, according to Mankaja’s statement to the police.
The court documents state:
“Despite knowing something was seriously wrong, Ochra did not call doctors, family members, or seek any medical help because she was scared and afraid of getting into trouble.”
She later checked on the baby after putting him in the crib. According to Law&Crime, the baby was facing up and was unresponsive, so Manakaja “thought he choked up” on his vomit.
Despite thinking about calling 911, she decided not to do it and let the baby lie there for hours as she went for her probation appointment for a prior DUI charge.
When she returned, she wrapped the baby in plastic and put him in the freezer because “she did not want him to smell.” The court documents added:
“She stated she was mad at herself and hated herself for what she did. She acknowledged that she killed her own baby.”
According to AZ Family, Manakaja repeatedly expressed remorse during the questioning. She said that she “f–ked up” and the toddler “didn’t deserve to die.”
Court records reviewed by AZ Family also reveal that Manakaja had a criminal history. She has previously been charged with disorderly conduct, assault, criminal damage cases, and convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and DUI in 2023.
Manakaja was booked into the Coconino County Jail on charges of child abuse, first-degree murder and concealment of a deceased body. Authorities said her bond was set at $1 million cash-only, and she was ordered not to contact her surviving children.
