The Children In The Freezer — The Story Of A Sadistic Mother

Born in May 1979 in Detroit, Michigan, Mitchelle Blair grew up in an environment marked by poverty and emotional neglect. She has since claimed that she was sexually abused by a friend of her mother’s during childhood, and when she confided in her mother about the abuse, she was met with a cold response: “…what do you want me to do about it?”

This sense of betrayal only deepened when her mother continued to allow Mitchelle’s abuser into their home. As she entered adolescence, anger and resentment became deeply ingrained.

By 2015, at 35 years old, Mitchelle was living in the Martin Luther King Apartments on Detroit’s Upper East Side. She was a single mother raising four children: 17 year old Gabrielle, 13 year old Stoni, 9 year old Stephen, and an 8 year old son whose name has not been disclosed in the media.

Just as she had experienced in her own childhood, Mitchelle’s children were being raised in poverty in a small apartment while relying on welfare. Their fathers were all absent and had criminal records.

Despite these challenges, Mitchelle presented herself to the outside world as a devoted mother making the most of her circumstances. Two years earlier, she had even withdrawn her children from school to home-school them.

A neighbour, 28 year old Jessie Porter, later remarked that although she had never actually seen the children, she could tell that Mitchelle “loved those kids,” noting that she had even superglued their homework to the living room walls.

However, some believed that Mitchelle had only removed her children from school to avoid trouble when they played truant. Child Protective Services had previously been involved with the family in September 2002 and again in February 2005 following allegations of abuse and neglect, yet against all odds, she retained custody of all four children.

Mitchelle never officially submitted the required documentation to the Department of Education to notify them that she was home-schooling her children. As a result, they slipped through the cracks—no one came to check on their wellbeing, and they were effectively forgotten by the school system.

On her Facebook page, Mitchelle projected the image of a devoted mother, listing “Loyal to my babies” next to her name and sharing posts expressing that there is “no greater blessing” than being a mom.

On the morning of March 24th 2015, Mitchelle was served an eviction notice for several months of unpaid rent—but she wasn’t home. Instead, a team sent by the District Court entered the apartment by force and began removing furniture. Observers noted that the home was “trashed,” with garbage and food scattered throughout every room. The apartment was nearly uninhabitable, creating an environment entirely unsuitable for children to grow up in.

But it was one piece of furniture in particular that would draw the attention of those present: a dirty white freezer in the living room. When they opened it, they made a discovery that would shock the entire community to its core. Inside, wrapped in a large plastic bag, was the frozen body of a teenage girl.

The team immediately called the police, and when they arrived, they made an even more disturbing discovery: beneath the girl’s body lay the body of a young boy.

Desperate to locate Mitchelle, police turned to the neighbours for information. One neighbour did not hesitate to reveal her whereabouts. Officers found Mitchelle at another neighbour's home with two of her children, but her other two children—9 year old Stephen Berry and 13 year old Stoni Blair—were missing.

Mitchelle was promptly arrested on charges of double murder and taken to the police station for questioning. As she was led away, she quietly uttered, “I’m sorry.”

Meanwhile, the two bodies were transported to the morgue, where they were left to thaw for three days. After the autopsy, it was confirmed that the remains were, in fact, those of Mitchelle Blair’s own children. The examiner concluded that their deaths were homicides and that the bodies had been inside the freezer for at least a couple of years.

Mitchelle’s surviving children each underwent medical examinations and were interviewed by child psychologists, during which they disclosed the abuse they had endured throughout their childhood at the hands of their mother.

The 8 year old was found to have 25 scars, both old and new, on his back, including “loop-shaped scars” on his back and buttocks consistent with being whipped with a cord.

The 17 year old had a visible cut above her left eye caused by Mitchelle striking her with a photo frame and had a broken front tooth from being hit with a curling iron. Like her younger brother, she also bore scars from iron burns and whipping.

Despite receiving $771 per month in food stamps and Medicaid for all four children, Mitchelle had consistently denied them access to medical care for their injuries—likely to avoid arousing the suspicion of child protective services.

During a police interrogation, Mitchelle’s motives for killing two of her children were revealed. She told investigators that around August 2012, she returned home to find her youngest son simulating sexual activity with dolls. When she asked him how he had learned about such acts and whether anyone had ever harmed him, he confessed that he had been keeping a secret: his nine year old brother, Stephen, had been sexually assaulting him.

Triggered by the trauma from her own childhood and how her mother had not protected her, Mitchelle flew into a blind rage.

Mitchelle went upstairs to confront Stephen. When he confessed, she began striking him repeatedly in the head. She then placed a bag over his head, suffocating him until he lost consciousness.

According to her statement to police, she poured scalding water over his genitals, causing severe burns and skin damage. She then forced Windex down his throat and wrapped a belt around his neck, tightening it while asking him, “Do you like how this feels, choked with a belt?”

The abuse reportedly continued for two weeks. On August 30th, Stephen succumbed to his injuries. Mitchelle then wrapped his body in his favourite blanket and placed it in the freezer.

Nine months passed by but in May 2013, Mitchelle's young son would again approach her. This time, he told her that his 13 year old sister Stormi, had raped him.

On 23rd May, Mitchelle confronted her daughter and they got into a physical altercation which resulted in Stoni being strangled with a shirt before having a bag placed over her head until she stopped breathing.

Mitchelle claimed that she had initially intended to turn herself in to the police, but her son begged her not to go. It was then that she made other arrangements. She instructed her oldest daughter, Gabrielle, to help carry Stormi’s body to the freezer, where she placed it on top of their brother Stephen, who had been dead for nearly a year.

The family continued living in the home, carrying on as if nothing was wrong. Years passed, and no one came searching for the missing children. When neighbours inquired about them, Mitchelle always had an explanation ready: they were out of town visiting their great-aunt.

When the murder trial commenced, Mitchelle told the judge that she felt no remorse for her actions, stating:

Mitchelle Blair pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole at the Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Her surviving children were placed in foster care, and all of Mitchelle’s parental rights were terminated.