On Tuesday, Michigan prosecutors filed murder charges against the mother of a 9-year-old boy who was found buried in a shallow grave last month.

On January 6, a landlord in Detroit reportedly discovered Zemar King’s body buried in the backyard while preparing the property for new tenants. The Detroit Free Press reported that King’s hands and feet were bound, and police believe his mother, Brandee Pierce, 41, killed him and buried him in the yard in October.

Pierce allegedly moved to Georgia with her 3-year-old son in November. According to WDIV, King’s foot and shin were discovered sticking out of the frozen ground.

The Wayne County medical examiner ruled King’s death a homicide by smothering and compression to the neck.

In late December, police in Brookhaven Georgia, contacted police in Detroit, Michigan, regarding an unrelated matter regarding King’s toddler son. Prosecutors said the boy is currently in foster care.

Prosecutors said King’s father only recently learned of his son’s death.

Pierce is awaiting extradition from Georgia to Michigan. She is charged with first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree child abuse, tampering with evidence, and concealing or interfering in a death.

A motive was not disclosed.

[Feature Photo: Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office]