North Carolina mom, Frezja Baker, found dead one week after she went missing

Frezja Baker was found dead days after she was reported missing when she failed to pick up her 2-year-old son.

After loved ones and community members spent days searching for a missing mother in North Carolina, she was found dead.

Frezja Baker, 31, who was reported missing a week ago, was discovered Thursday, Dec. 11, around 9:30 a.m. local time, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Her body was found inside a car matching the description of one connected to the case parked in the lot of an abandoned church, WCNC reported. 

Police said a death investigation was launched at the scene by the department’s homicide unit, though Baker’s cause of death has not yet been determined and police have yet to name a suspect.

“Ms. Baker’s family has been notified of her death,” CMPD said in a statement, adding that the investigation remains “active and ongoing.”

Baker was first reported missing on Dec. 4 after she dropped off her 2-year-old son at his grandparents’ home and failed to return as planned. Authorities previously said she was last seen driving a gray-blue 2004 Honda Accord with temporary South Carolina license plates.

Her brother, Fred Baker, told WBTV that his sister had taken her son to a dentist appointment earlier that day before leaving him with their grandparents. He said Baker later called around 10:30 p.m. to say she was about an hour away from returning — the last time anyone heard from her.

A close friend, Peaches Johnson, told WCCB that Baker’s phone soon became unreachable.

“It’s not like her to not call her son — she called her son every day, every night before he goes to sleep — and we just knew something was wrong,” Johnson said.

While many details surrounding Baker’s death remain unclear, those close to her told WCCB that she had gotten into an argument with a male acquaintance on the day she disappeared.

“They got in a fight Thursday night, and we have witnesses stating that there was an argument that took place,” Johnson said. “But we don’t know the extent of the argument.”

Dozens of people from the community reportedly joined search efforts in the days following Baker’s disappearance before she was ultimately found.

Anyone with information related to this case is urged to call 704-432-8477 (TIPS) to speak directly with a CMPD Homicide Unit detective.