Missing North Carolina Mother Found Dead in Charlotte, Police Say

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A 31-year-old North Carolina mother who had been missing for a week was found dead Thursday morning in Charlotte, according to police.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officials said the body of Frezja Baker was discovered inside a vehicle around 9:35 a.m. in the 2300 block of Sanders Avenue. The car was found on the property of an abandoned church and matched the description of the vehicle associated with Baker’s disappearance.

Police confirmed that the department’s homicide unit has opened a death investigation. Baker’s cause of death has not yet been determined.

Baker was last seen in Charlotte on the night of Dec. 4, police previously said. At the time, she was driving a gray-blue 2004 Honda Accord with temporary South Carolina license plates.

According to family members, Baker had earlier dropped her young son off at his grandparents’ home following a dentist appointment. Her brother, Fred Baker, told local media that she later called around 10:30 p.m., saying she was about an hour away. That was the last time anyone heard from her.

“She always comes home to check on her kid,” Fred Baker said.

That concern was echoed by close friend Peaches Johnson, who said Baker’s sudden silence raised immediate alarm.

“Her messages weren’t being delivered. No phone calls were going through,” Johnson said. “It’s not like her to not call her son. She called him every day, every night before he went to sleep. We just knew something was wrong.”

Loved ones also said Baker was last seen with a man they described as an acquaintance. Johnson said witnesses reported an argument between the two on the night Baker disappeared, though details remain unclear.

“They got in a fight Thursday night,” Johnson said. “We have witnesses stating there was an argument, but we don’t know the extent of it.”

Police have not released additional information about suspects or charges as the investigation continues.