The body of a child has been found in a freezer at a Bradenton home, and police believe it may be 11-year-old Janiya Thomas.



During a press conference late Sunday night, the Bradenton Police Department said they are waiting for confirmation from the medical examiner, but that the body, which they believe is likely Janiya, was found in a freezer in her maternal grandmother's garage located in the 5000 block of 21st Way East.

"She's done something with this child that she knows she should not have done, and she will get charged for it once we can prove what it is she did," said Lt. James Racky with the Bradenton Police Department.

Police said the girl's aunt and grandmother made the discovery after seeing that she was missing. The girl's mother, Keishanna Thomas, had brought the freezer over to the house on Wednesday with another man, who police have yet to identify.

Racky described the mother as "wicked, wrong, and possibly a killer."

"The mother sounds to me that she's guilty," Racky said. "She's not a mother. I don't know why she's not talking. I think the fact that we found a body now -- hopefully she'll get smart and realize she'll have to cooperate but we're definitely looking at her as number one right now."

Prior to the discovery, Thomas was under investigation by Child Protective Services regarding a claim of child abuse by one of the children.

After investigating, case workers from the Department of Children and Families came to Thomas' home last week to take her five children into their custody, but Janiya was not there and they say Thomas refused to offer an explanation.

On Saturday, a judge put Thomas in the Manatee County Jail for contempt of court when she refused to tell him about Janiya's whereabouts.

"We try to be professional, we try to put on a calm face about it but it disgusts me," Racky said. "I got children myself. However this happened, it's just not right, and we have to find out who is responsible, we need hold them accountable, that child is somone's child. Whether it's hers or not, we'll find that out for sure."

Police said the girl had a medical condition that caused her to frequently miss the bathroom. It's the same condition that Janiya's father died of.



Neighbors of the Villages of Cortez, which is a gated apartment complex, say they haven't seen the little girl in weeks, even months.

"I'm worried that if she doesn't make it home, I'm gonna be worried because we've never had a child out here missing," says playmate Zamarah Everett. "She's the first person that's missing."

The only thing more bizarre than Thomas' mysterious disappearance, is how it has gone unnoticed and unreported.

Anyone with information about the case to call Det. James Curulla at 941-747-3011, ext. 224, or Det. Adrian Meridan at 941-932-9326.