A baby found dead in an Arizona hotel room had been frozen for nearly two weeks, according to court documents.
According to court filings, on May 17, a woman contacted 911 and reported that her 15-month-old baby had died. When the dispatcher inquired what had transpired, she responded:Â “”I killed him.
The caller then hangs up.
According to court filings, cops discovered the infant wrapped in plastic inside a clear plastic box. According to court filings, the body was “stiff and cold to the touch and obviously frozen,” with a temperature of approximately 26 degrees Fahrenheit.
The mother was identified as Ochra Manakaja, 31, of Flagstaff. She was detained and charged with homicide, child abuse, and concealing a dead corpse, according to the municipal police department.
Manakaja told police in an interview that she injured her son a few weeks ago. She claimed she dropped her son but subsequently revealed that he was sobbing and she had “thrown him into his crib out of frustration.” Court filings claim that she has “hit, slapped,” and thrown her son multiple times after regaining custody of him in March 2026.
The Arizona Department of Youngster Safety told 12News that they had received a previous allegation that the youngster was endangered in this family.
DCS attempted to take custody of the child after the complaint, but the mother’s tribe claimed jurisdiction and seized possession instead. If the Department receives a report on a child who is enrolled or eligible for enrollment in a tribe, the Department and the tribe have concurrent jurisdiction under the Indian Child Welfare Act to investigate and take custody of the child, according to AZDCS.
Manakaja told authorities that on April 29, her son’s wailing woke her up. She had tried all morning to settle him down, but “he remained fussy and kept touching his stomach as if complaining about stomach pain,” according to court documents.
Manakaja told police that after her two elder sons went to school, she threw her infant into his crib “out of frustration.” He landed on his back, and “the crying got worse after he landed,” according to court filings.
Manakaja told police that her infant was throwing up; not eating; appeared weak and pale; and wasn’t acting like himself after she threw him in the cot. His symptoms lasted until May 1, three days later, when he died.
In an interview with authorities, Manakaja stated that he had a fever on the day of his death and was quite hot to the touch. However, she did not have a thermometer. Despite knowing something was badly wrong, Ochra did not contact doctors, family members, or seek medical attention because she was frightened of getting in trouble, according to court filings.
When authorities queried Manakaja about her baby’s death, she said she “thought he choked on his throw-up. Manakaja and the infant were at home alone, and he hadn’t eaten anything all day. The infant was on the couch, and Manakaja believed he was asleep for around two hours while she was in the kitchen.
When she checked on the baby, he was “laying face up with his eyes closed and was not breathing,” according to court documents.
Manakaja attempted to rouse him up by bathing his face and torso with a cool washcloth, but he remained unconscious. “She stated that she considered calling 911 but did not do so,” court filings state. Instead, she let him lie there.”
On the same day her kid died, Manakaja had a UA appointment as part of her DUI probation. According to court documents, she “did not want to go anywhere,” but she left her baby’s body in her apartment and attended the appointment. Her kid had been dead for two to three hours, she informed police, and when she got home in the evening, she wrapped him and put him in the freezer.
She told detectives she wrapped her son in a blanket, then in plastic, and taped everything together before placing him in the freezer. She sealed the freezer door with duct tape and told investigators she did so “because she did not want him to smell.”
According to court filings, Manakaja told her older sons that the baby was in the hospital or at the doctor’s office.
She informed authorities that she had been the sole caregiver for all three children for the past year, with no one to assist or visit them. Manakaja said that no one else had hurt her infant except her.
According to court documents, Manakaja expressed sorrow throughout her questioning and indicated that she “[expletive] up.” “She stated she was mad at herself and hated herself for what she did,” court filings allege. She said that she had killed her own baby.”
The following is the whole statement from the Arizona Department of Child Services:
The Department extends its deepest sympathies to all those affected by the tragic death of a one-year-old child. Our thoughts are with the child’s loved ones and community during this difficult time.
The Department received one prior report involving this family in December 2024. Following an investigation, the Department determined the child was unsafe and obtained court authorization to take custody. However, after we removed the child, the mother’s tribe asserted jurisdiction and assumed custody of the child.
If the Department receives a report on a child who is enrolled in or eligible for enrollment in a tribe, the Department and the tribe share concurrent jurisdiction under the Indian Child Welfare Act to investigate and take custody of the child. The tribe may request that the matter be transferred to tribal court at any time, as occurred in this case. Once the matter is transferred, DCS is no longer involved, and all decisions regarding the child’s case, including case plan, placement, and permanency decisions, are handled by the tribal court and tribal social services.
Anyone with information regarding this event can call the Flagstaff Police Department at 928-774-1414 or report information anonymously through Silent Witness at 928-774-6111.
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