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Filing: Teen Says Mom Killed Her Siblings Found in Freezer

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Mitchelle Blair is arraigned on child abuse charges after the bodies of two of her children were found in her home freezer at the 36th District Court, Thursday, March 26, 2015, in Detorit. The Detroit woman was ordered to stay in jail Thursday, unless she can post a $1 million bond. (AP Photo/The Ann Arbor News, Tanya Moutzalias)

Mitchelle Blair is arraigned on child abuse charges after the bodies of two of her children were found in her home freezer at the 36th District Court, Thursday, March 26, 2015, in Detorit. The Detroit woman was ordered to stay in jail Thursday, unless she can post a $1 million bond. (AP Photo/The Ann Arbor News, Tanya Moutzalias)

ED WHITE, Associated Press
COREY WILLIAMS, Associated Press

DETROIT (AP) — A teenager told authorities that her mother killed two siblings and forced her to put one of the bodies in the freezer of their Detroit home where both were found by an eviction crew.

Details of death and extreme abuse emerged Thursday as Mitchelle Blair appeared in court, two days after the bodies of a 9-year-old son, Stephen Berry, and 13-year-old daughter, Stoni Blair, were discovered.

Blair, 35, is charged with child abuse, but she could face murder charges when the bodies thaw and autopsies are performed, prosecutors said. Bond was set at $1 million. An attorney hasn’t been assigned.

The Michigan Department of Human Services is taking steps to end Blair’s rights to two other children, a 17-year-old daughter and an 8-year-old son. In a court filing, the state said the teen described a house of horror, where she and her surviving brother were beaten with an extension cord and piece of wood, hit with a hot curling iron and burned with a clothing iron.

“Blair tortured Stephen for approximately two weeks prior to his death by tying a belt around his neck, throwing hot water on him while in the shower and putting a plastic bag over his head,” the state said, quoting the 17-year-old.

Stephen was “unresponsive” on Aug. 30, 2012, and Blair wrapped his body in bed linen and put him in the freezer, the state said.

Nine months later, Blair became “enraged” when Stoni said she didn’t like her surviving siblings and strangled the girl with a T-shirt and suffocated her with a plastic bag, the department said.

Blair then made the teen “put Stoni in the deep freezer following her death,” the agency said.

The 8-year-old boy also was aware that his sister and brother were killed and subsequently placed in the freezer, the department said.

Medical exams revealed evidence of abuse, including numerous scars, on the children. The teenager said neither she nor her siblings have attended school for two years.

Earlier Thursday, Blair appeared in court on child abuse charges via a video feed from a police lockup. Magistrate Renee McDuffee entered a not-guilty plea on her behalf.

“The charges in this matter are so heinous,” McDuffee said in explaining the $1 million bond.

The state said it investigated allegations of abuse in 2002 and 2005. Blair was referred to counseling.

The state said the two fathers of Blair’s surviving children are unfit to care for them. Together they owe $50,000 in child support and haven’t seen the kids in two to three years.

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Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

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Congresswoman Barbara Lee
Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12).

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.

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