One year ago, a little girl was found dead in a freezer

One year ago, on Oct. 18, 2015, the Bradenton Police Department announced a grisly discovery: The body of a girl later identified as Janiya Thomas, who had been reported as missing two days earlier, had been found in a freezer at a relative’s home in Bradenton.

The find ended a desperate search that started after the girl’s mother, Keishanna Thomas, who had been investigated several times for possible child abuse, refused to tell a judge about her daughter’s whereabouts.

Subsequent investigations lead to not only a murder charge for Keishanna Thomas, but scrutiny of the local child protection system and the rules governing the home-schooling of children.

And as awful as the discover of Janiya’s body was, the details of how investigators believe she died, and that no one realized she was dead, may have been more horrific.

Keishanna Thomas is currently set to stand trial starting Nov. 28.

This story was originally published October 18, 2016 at 7:30 AM with the headline "One year ago, a little girl was found dead in a freezer."