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Flagstaff Mother Charged After Toddler Found Dead in Hotel Room

Investigators await the medical examiner’s findings to confirm the cause and manner of death.

Overview

  • Police found the 17-month-old boy dead inside a La Quinta Inn room in Flagstaff on Sunday after a 911 call, and removed two other children, ages 7 and 9, who were unharmed.
  • Officers arrested 31-year-old Ochra Manakaja and booked her into the Coconino County Jail on counts of first-degree murder, child abuse and concealing a body, with a $1 million cash bond.
  • Court documents say Manakaja told a dispatcher “I killed him” during the 911 call and then hung up.
  • The paperwork alleges she threw the child into a crib on April 29, did not seek medical care as his condition worsened, and later wrapped him and stored his body in a hotel-room freezer for about two weeks.
  • Investigators reported finding the body wrapped inside a plastic container at a temperature near 26 degrees, and said the two siblings are now safe as the case remains active.