In early December 2025, a tragedy unfolded in Charlotte, North Carolina, involving 31-year-old Black female Frezja Matisse Baker, whose disappearance would end in the discovery of her death. Frezja, known to her friends and family as a bubbly and affectionate woman with a distinct walk and a penchant for giving hugs, was a devoted mother to a two-year-old son.
On December 4, she dropped her child off at his grandparents' home following a dentist appointment, a routine act that would be the last time her family saw her alive. Later that evening, she called her brother to say she was about an hour away from returning, but she never arrived.
Concern grew rapidly among her loved ones when calls began going straight to voicemail and messages went undelivered, behavior that was highly uncharacteristic for her. For a week, family and friends searched desperately, distributing flyers and pleading for information. The search came to a heartbreaking conclusion on the morning of December 11, when police discovered Frezja’s body inside her gray 2004 Honda Accord. The vehicle was found parked on the property of an abandoned church in the 2300 block of Sanders Avenue in west Charlotte. Investigators determined she had sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
Police quickly identified a suspect, 38-year-old Lorenza Thomas Inman Jr., who was in a dating relationship with the victim. According to court documents, a witness came forward stating that Inman had confessed to the killing. The witness claimed Inman admitted that he and Frezja had gotten into an argument inside the vehicle, during which he alleged the gun went off accidentally as she tried to grab it. After the shooting, Inman reportedly left her body in the car and fled the area.
Inman was located and arrested on December 12 in Maxton, North Carolina, approximately 100 miles southeast of Charlotte. He was subsequently charged with murder, assault on a female, and a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. At the time of his arrest, reports indicated that Inman had a significant prior criminal history, including a previous conviction for attempted first-degree murder that had been overturned on appeal. He was held without bond as the legal proceedings began, leaving Frezja's family to mourn the loss of a beloved mother, sister, and friend.
