State officials said a previous case ended after tribal jurisdiction was claimed.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Arizona child welfare officials said they had prior contact with the family of a toddler found dead in a Flagstaff hotel freezer before his mother was arrested Sunday.
The Department of Child Safety said it received a report involving Ochra Manakaja and her family in December 2024 and obtained a court order to remove a child from unsafe conditions. The agency said the state case ended after Manakaja’s tribe claimed jurisdiction and assumed custody authority.
Police said the new case began shortly after 9:30 a.m. May 17, when Manakaja called 911 from a La Quinta Inn and Suites near Bronco Way and Huntington Road. Court documents say she told a dispatcher her baby was dead and then said, “I killed him.” Officers found the child’s body inside a freezer, wrapped in a tote and placed in a clear plastic box.
Two other boys, ages 7 and 9, were found in the room and were safely removed, police said. Investigators said the toddler’s body temperature was about 26 degrees when officers found him. Authorities have not released the child’s name or a final medical finding on how he died.
According to court documents, Manakaja told officers she threw the child into a crib April 29 after becoming frustrated because he was crying. She said he later vomited, stopped eating, developed a fever and appeared weak and pale. Investigators wrote that she did not seek medical help because she feared legal trouble.
Manakaja told police the child stopped breathing May 1. Court documents say she wrapped him in a blanket, covered him in plastic, taped the wrapping and put him in the freezer for about two weeks. Police said she told her older sons that the toddler was at a hospital or doctor’s office.
Manakaja was booked into the Coconino County Jail on charges of first-degree murder, child abuse and concealment of a dead body. Her bond was set at $1 million cash only, and she was ordered to have no contact with the two older children.
The child welfare agency said state and tribal governments can both have authority in cases involving Native American children, and a tribe may request to take over a case. The agency said its workers were no longer involved after that happened in the earlier case.
The criminal case was still active Tuesday, with investigators continuing to review the hotel room evidence, the prior welfare history and Manakaja’s statements to police.
Author note: Last updated May 19, 2026.