Mother arrested after kids found dead in freezer

Police outside a home in Detroit in which two bodies were found. Picture: AP

It is understood the bodies of an 11-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl were recoved from the house in Detroit.

The 36-year-old woman’s other two children, aged 11 and 17, were found in a neighbour’s home and have been taken into care.

Neighbours reportedly said they had not seen the two dead children for “about a year”.

US media reported that neighbours described the woman as an “overprotective parent”.

They said she would talk about how much she loved her children on social media.

She had lived in the neighbourhood for at least ten years and was unemployed and struggling to pay her rent.

“She was really behind, but she didn’t have it,” neighbour and friend Tori Childs said. “This is so tragic. They were the nicest kids, so respectable.”

She saw the woman being led away by police on Tuesday morning during the eviction.

“She said ‘Tori, I’m sorry’, and then the police officer put her in the car and drove her away.”

Court records reportedly show a judgment was filed last month against the woman for $2,206 in rent owed to the complex.

The Detroit News quoted neighbour Shanetria Lanier, 21, as saying people in the apartment complex wondered what happened to the two children.

“When people asked her where her other two kids are, she said they were at their aunt’s house,” Lanier said.

“Or sometimes she’d tell people they stayed inside because they didn’t like to be around people.”

She said that the woman home-schooled her children.

“That’s why no schools were wondering where they were,” she said.

An official with Detroit Public Schools reportedly said there was no record of the children attending classes in the district.

Police Chief James Craig said it was not clear how long the bodies had been in the freezer and said a post mortem would be carried out to determine how the children died.

He called it a “terrible find”.

As the investigation continues, local politicians are already seeking answers.

City council member Mary Sheffield said that there were many questions arising from the tragic case.

“As details continue to emerge, one thing is abundantly clear: our system of protecting children and identifying and helping those in need whether it’s emotionally, mentally, financially or socially must be called into question,” said councillor Sheffield..

“Whether this is a case of neglect, homicide or a result of mental illness society must be in position to recognise a child is in danger and swift decisive action must be taken.”