Nationwide — Ochra Manakaja, a 31-year-old African American woman from Flagstaff, Arizona, was arrested after she allegedly killed her 15-month-old son in a hotel room. Authorities said she stored his body in a freezer for weeks before her arrest.
Police said Manakaja called 911 around 9:30 a.m. Sunday, to report that her toddler was dead. When dispatchers asked what happened, she allegedly replied, “I killed him,” before ending the call. Officers also found two other children, ages 7 and 9, inside the room. They were unharmed and taken into protective care.
According to WLBT, local police responded to a La Quinta Inn and Suites near Huntington Road and Bronco Way, just south of Interstate 40. Inside the hotel room, they found the toddler’s body wrapped in a tote bag and placed inside a clear plastic container. Authorities said the body temperature was about 26 degrees.
During questioning, Manakaja told police she threw the child into his crib on April 29 after he became fussy and cried. She said the child later began vomiting, refused food, and grew weak. According to police, the child developed a fever on May 1, but she did not seek medical help because she feared legal trouble while on DUI probation. She also left the hotel that day for a required drug test.
When she returned, she found the toddler lying on the couch, unresponsive and not breathing, police said. She tried to revive him using a cold rag, but it did not work. Court documents state she believed the child may have choked after vomiting earlier that morning.
Investigators said she later wrapped the body in a blanket, sealed it in plastic, taped it, and placed it in a freezer for about two weeks.
Police arrested Manakaja and booked her into the Coconino County Jail on charges of first-degree murder, child abuse, and concealment of a dead body. Her bond was set at $1 million cash-only, and she was ordered not to contact her two older sons.
The Department of Child Safety said it had previously received a report involving the family in December 2024 and obtained a court order to remove the child. However, the case was transferred to tribal jurisdiction, and state caseworkers stepped away.
Court records show Manakaja had a prior criminal history that includes assault, disorderly conduct, and DUI. She also had 2023 convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and DUI. A forensic psychologist noted that substance abuse and possible untreated mental health conditions may have played a role in her instability.