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Dead woman found inside apartment not pregnant

Posted at 3:24 PM, Dec 29, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-29 22:25:00-05

Police said Tuesday there is no indication a woman found dead in an apartment and allegedly kept as a "shrine" was pregnant, as reportedly indicated by the suspect and a witness.

Anitra L. Braxton, 39, is accused of shooting another woman and then keeping her body on a sofa for days as a "shrine" of her Phoenix apartment. 

She was booked into jail on Dec. 26 under suspicion of first-degree murder and held on $750,000 bond. She remains in jail. 

RELATED: Prison records reveal murder suspect's past

Police confirmed an autopsy had been conducted, but still did not know the identity of the woman. 

Sgt. Trent Crump said medical examiners are working to identify the victim, but that a photo or sketch may be released if necessary.

Emergency dispatchers received two 911 calls on Saturday evening, Dec. 26, from people who reported a dead female inside an apartment near 15th and Missouri avenues, records show.

Officers responded and found a black female wrapped in a towel, dead on the sofa. Records said the unidentified victim died of a gunshot wound to the head and may have been pregnant.

However, autopsy results on Tuesday revealed the woman was not pregnant, contrary to what the suspect and a witness told officials. Had the woman been pregnant, she would have been charged with double homicide. 

Police have not been able to identify the woman, and a sketch or photograph of the woman may be released if needed to help identify who she is and notify the next of kin. 

Braxton initially told officers that she lived alone and that no one was inside the apartment. After officers found the body, Braxton was taken to police headquarters, Mirandized and interviewed.

She told detectives that the victim was "a shrine from God and was actually her own body," according to police records. She said the victim was shot for "not believing in her God" and that the body had been there for two or three days.

Braxton was booked into jail on one count of first-degree premeditated murder. She's being held on a $750,000 bond.

ABC15 obtained multiple mug shots of Braxton over the past 15 years. Take a look at the timeline below to see when each one was taken.