While a medical examiner works to identify a child found in a freezer in a Bradenton home, authorities are trying to answer the many questions surrounding the disappearance of 11-year-old Janiya Thomas.
Bradenton police believe the body found inside a freezer at Thomas' grandmother's house is Janiya, whom authorities started looking for last week but may have been missing for over a year. The girl's mother, 32-year-old Keishanna Thomas, has refused to cooperate with a judge or answer any questions regarding Janiya's whereabouts, and is being held in jail on a contempt of court charge.
"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.
Family members of Janiya are planning a vigil this Sunday at 6 p.m. at the home where the body, who has yet to be identified, was found.
In the meantime, officials can't help but wonder, how did so much time go by before Janiya was discovered as missing?
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On Sunday night, police received a tip that Janiya's body might be located in a freezer at the house in the 5000 block of 21st Way E. Police said a man and Thomas moved the padlocked freezer into the garage of the home on Wednesday. Police say they know who the man is and are looking for him.
The last contact Child Protective Services officials had with Janiya was in August 2014.
According to the school district, Janiya was last enrolled at Manatee Elementary in 2013. Later, Thomas registered her as a home-schooler but failed to fill out the proper reports. By early 2015, Thomas told school officials that Janiya had moved to New Jersey.
Authorities say she was telling that same story to others as well, including her family members.
The aunt and grandmother discovered the body after searching for the girl, whom they had not seen in a long time.
Thomas has a history with child abuse allegations dating back to 2003. In 2014, CPS monitored her after allegations involving her older son. Officials said that case was later closed with no follow up required. It wasn't until three weeks ago that the same son called to say he had been abused again after he stole something from the Walmart Thomas worked at.
In the affidavit, the son said his mom punched him, slapped him, and threw him against a glass mirror. Thomas denied the allegations, saying she only hit him across the head with an open hand.
After a doctor concluded the boy's injuries were consistent with child abuse, case workers from the Department of Children and Families went to Thomas' home last week to take her five children into their custody. Janiya, however, was not there, and the mother refused to offer an explanation, police say.
Police said the girl had a medical condition that often made it difficult for her to make it to the bathroom in time. It's the same condition Janiya's father died from.
Thomas' other children, ages 2, 9, 12 and 15, are now in state custody.
"We try to be professional, we try to put on a calm face about it, but it disgusts me," Bradenton police spokesman Lt. James Racky said. "I've 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 someone's child. Whether it's hers or not, we'll find that out for sure."