Two children in Detroit died of suspected exposure to the cold after being found unresponsive in the van where the family was living Monday, police said.
The children, ages 2 and 9, were discovered not breathing by their mother at around noon, Detroit police Capt. Nathan Duda said. They were taken to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead, he said.
The mother had parked the van on the 9th floor of Hollywood Casino's parking garage at around 1 a.m. Monday, and the vehicle ran out of gas sometime thereafter, Duda told reporters in a video released by the police department. Five children and two adults were in the van, interim police chief Todd Bettison said at a news conference. The ages of the children are 13 to 2 years old, he said.
The tragedy happened as Detroit had temperatures of around 12 degrees early Monday morning, with wind chills of 6 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
The mother first realized her 9-year-old son was not breathing and called either a close friend or relative for help, Bettison said.
"When the mother realized that her son wasn’t breathing, she did make a 911 call, but the friend, in a Buick, immediately transported the 9-year-old to Children’s Hospital," he said.
"While en route to Children’s Hospital, as they checked on the other children that were in the van … they realized at some point that the 2-year-old wasn’t breathing and so a telephone call was made to the friend ... to return so that the 2-year-old could be picked up," he continued.
Video showed the entire family getting into the Buick, where they were taken to Children's Hospital, the chief said.
There is an open investigation by the police department, Duda said.
“It has to be [investigated],” Duda said. “I don’t think anyone really wants to think about that at the moment with the two children passed, but the reality is that the circumstances do have to be examined. We have to figure out how to go forward.”
The family reached out to a homeless response team on Nov. 25 and said they had been living with a family, but could no longer stay there and needed a place to go, Mayor Mike Duggan told reporters. He said during that conversation "there was no resolution reached on where they would go."
"For whatever reason, this wasn’t deemed an emergency that caused an outreach worker to visit the family," the mayor said at the news conference.
The family had also reached out in the summer and during the previous year, he said.
There were beds available at a shelter just a few miles from the casino, according to Duggan, and a family drop-in shelter was opened on Dec. 16.
"It’s a terrible day in Detroit as we deal with the tragic loss of two young people," he said.
The police chief said he believes the family chose to seek shelter in the garage for safety and because they could utilize the casino's bathroom. He also said the family had moved around from various casino parking lots.
"At the casino, it’s definitely free parking. It has an aspect of safety to it if you’re going to be sleeping in a vehicle. Another aspect of it, you’re able to go inside the casino and utilize restroom facilities. At some point, I was told by my detectives that yes, they would utilize casino restrooms," he said.
Duda said the situation was sad, especially as a father. “I just can’t imagine what the family is feeling,” he said.
Duda urged people to avail themselves to resources like shelters, churches or other facilities set up to help. He also said people who see others in need during the cold should call 911.
"We'll show up with all the right people to be able to offer resources, to transport, to feed, to clothe, to give that person shelter," Duda said. "We do care."
The other children are currently in the care of other family members, the chief said.
