Detroit

Autopsies Determine Children Found in Freezer Were Beaten to Death

Autopsies have determined that two children found dead in a freezer in their Detroit home were beaten to death, with the youngest child also suffering "thermal injuries."

The Wayne County medical examiner's office released the autopsy results Friday on Stoni Blair and her brother, Stephen Berry. It says both deaths were homicides.

The children's mother, Mitchelle Blair, was arrested Tuesday after court officers found the bodies while conducting an eviction at her home. She is charged with child abuse but prosecutors said they may charge her with murder.

Blair's two other children were placed with a relative. Child welfare officials say they were horribly abused.

Investigators believe Stoni was 13 when she died and Stephen was 9. They think Stephen died in August 2012 and Stoni died the next May. 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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