A missing Charlotte mother was found dead inside her car behind a church on Dec. 11, and detectives charged a 38-year-old man the next day in her killing, authorities said. The woman, identified as Frezja Matisse Baker, 31, had been reported missing a week earlier after dropping off her young son at his grandparents’ home.
Police said officers discovered Baker’s gray-blue 2004 Honda Accord behind a church near Sanders Avenue and Campus Street just after 9:30 a.m. Thursday. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. Detectives opened a homicide case and, by Friday, secured murder warrants for Lorenza Thomas Inman Jr., described by family as a former acquaintance of Baker. Investigators are still determining how long the car sat in the lot and have not released a cause or manner of death pending the medical examiner’s report. The discovery capped days of searching by relatives, who posted fliers and combed west Charlotte corridors for the car seen in surveillance images the night she vanished.
Police said Baker was last seen the night of Dec. 4 at a Mobil gas station on LaSalle Street, about a mile and a half from where her car was later found. Family members said she called her brother around 10:30 p.m. that night and said she was about an hour away but never arrived. The vehicle bore temporary South Carolina plates. Detectives canvassed nearby blocks for camera footage, pulled recordings from businesses along Beatties Ford Road and interviewed people who saw Baker in the hours before she went missing. Loved ones told reporters Baker routinely checked on her son and would not have disappeared without contact, details that heightened concern as the week passed.
On Friday, officers announced Inman’s arrest on a murder charge tied to Baker’s death. Additional counts listed by authorities included assault on a female and a misdemeanor domestic-violence offense. Police said Inman was taken into custody outside Charlotte and transferred to the Mecklenburg County jail. Investigators have not publicly outlined a motive or the events that led to Baker’s death and did not say whether the victim and suspect were together the night she disappeared. The Mecklenburg County Medical Examiner is conducting an autopsy and toxicology tests; officials did not release an estimated time of death.
At the church lot, crime-scene tape stretched across a rear driveway as technicians examined the sedan and collected evidence. Neighbors said the car had been noticed earlier in the week but did not initially draw attention. The corner sits along a residential stretch west of downtown, where several small churches and community centers share parking areas. By afternoon, mourners had placed flowers near the tape while officers rotated in and out of the scene. Family members conferred quietly with detectives, who continued reviewing camera angles from surrounding streets.
Baker’s disappearance quickly drew coverage and community help, with friends organizing small search teams between the grandparents’ home and common routes she used. Police circulated still images from the gas station and asked businesses to hold video from Dec. 4 into Dec. 5. The case added to a year of high-profile missing-person investigations in Charlotte and renewed focus on how quickly investigators distribute vehicle descriptions and plate numbers. Advocates who track cases of violence against women said the response showed how neighborhood cameras and street-level outreach can narrow a timeline during the first days of a search.
Inman made an initial court appearance Monday, when a judge ordered him held without bond. Prosecutors said they will file discovery and consult with the family as lab results arrive. A probable-cause hearing date will be set after attorneys meet with the court. Detectives said they are still compiling video, phone records and witness statements to establish Baker’s movements between the gas station stop and the church lot, and to determine whether any additional charges are warranted.
Outside the church, a small memorial of candles and flowers continued to grow as drivers passed slowly along the block. “She always checked on her child,” a family friend said, pausing by the tape. “That’s how we knew something was wrong.” The car was towed for further examination over the weekend while officers maintained periodic patrols near the site.
As of late Monday, police said the homicide investigation remains active. The medical examiner has not released a cause of death, and no additional suspects were identified. The next significant update is expected after autopsy findings and scheduling of a probable-cause hearing in district court.
Author note: Last updated December 15, 2025.