{"id":655,"date":"2026-05-21T10:41:39","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=655"},"modified":"2026-05-21T10:41:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:41:39","slug":"mother-accused-of-killing-toddler-freezing-the-body-has-criminal-background-history-of-drug-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=655","title":{"rendered":"Mother accused of killing toddler, freezing the body has criminal background, history of drug use"},"content":{"rendered":"
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FLAGSTAFF (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 There is new information about the woman accused of killing her baby and then hiding the child\u2019s body in a freezer for weeks. <\/p>\n

Read more Yuma named one of Arizona\u2019s most affordable places for homebuyers<\/a><\/p>\n

The new information comes from a presentence report our team obtained from one of Ochra Manakaja\u2019s previous convictions. The adult probation department looked into her past crimes and her background, including her drug use and family life.<\/p>\n

31-year-old Ochra Manakaja allegedly admitted to police this week that she killed her 15-month-old child and hid the child\u2019s body in a freezer for two weeks. <\/p>\n

Court documents state she called 911 Sunday morning, telling dispatchers, \u201cI killed him,\u201d and then hung up. <\/p>\n

Police responded to La Quinta Inn and Suites near Huntington Road and Bronco Way and found the toddler\u2019s body wrapped in a tote that was inside a clear plastic box. <\/p>\n

She told police she threw the toddler into his crib because she was frustrated with his crying and fussing. The child died two days later on May 1. <\/p>\n

However, her criminal history dates back years. New court documents show that on December 20, 2020, she stole a relative\u2019s car. She then ran into another man\u2019s truck, injuring a bystander. She allegedly fled that scene and then crashed into another person\u2019s fence.<\/p>\n

Documents show she had a blood alcohol level of .084 and had methamphetamine and THC in her system at the time of the incident. <\/p>\n

Read more Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and Gray Media double down on fan investment and the future of sports media<\/a><\/p>\n

She was raised by both of her parents on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. She attended Flagstaff High School, but did not graduate.<\/p>\n

She had never been married, but had two children at the time of her arrest in 2020.<\/p>\n

She once worked as a teacher\u2019s aide. The report states she admitted she first tried meth at 16 and used it weekly. <\/p>\n

The toddler who died was taken away from her by Arizona DCS shortly after he was born in December 2024, but the Havasupai tribe asserted jurisdiction and took the child.<\/p>\n

Manakaja told police she had just regained custody of the baby when he died.<\/p>\n

Police said Manakaja\u2019s two other children were found with her when she was arrested. There\u2019s been no update about where those children have been taken.<\/p>\n

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? <\/i>Please click here to report it<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send <\/i>it to us here<\/i> with a brief description.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more Coconino County uses AI-powered drones to enhance search and rescue operations<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is new information about the woman accused of killing her baby and then hiding the child\u2019s body in a freezer for weeks. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":483,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nMother accused of killing toddler, freezing the body has criminal background, history of drug use - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=655\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mother accused of killing toddler, freezing the body has criminal background, history of drug use - 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