On Monday, February 10, a mother discovered two of her children, ages 2 and 9, were unresponsive inside the van they were living in. They were rushed to the hospital but, unfortunately, they were both pronounced dead. The 2-year-old girl and the 9-year-old boy had succumbed to Detroit's cold weather.
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According to NBC News, the woman was living alongside her five children in the van for months. The very same day she discovered that her unconscious children, the mother parked at a casino parking garage at around 1 a.m. It was at noon that the woman made the disturbing discovery. It has been reported that the weather at the time was around 12 degrees.
According to Detroit Police Capt. Nathan Duda, the woman initially found one of her children to be unresponsive. She called a family member who helped her drive the child to a local hospital. Duda believes that the mother's van had either run out of gas or experienced a mechanical issue. However, it was at that time that she found that the other child was also unresponsive.
"And so that person conveyed both children to Children's Hospital, where they were pronounced deceased, with the early indicator being that they froze to death," Duda told NBC News.
Incident Under Investigation
FOX 2 reported that the other three children, ages 4, 8, and 13, were also driven to a local hospital. Fortunately, all three are in stable condition after receiving treatment. The mother was initially detained and provided a statement, but currently, she is not in custody.
"It has to be [investigated]," Captain 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." He also added, "I just can't imagine what the family is feeling."
Reportedly, the family did have an address on the east side of Detroit. According to FOX 2, however, they have not lived there for quite a while.
Captain Duda urged everyone in need to go to shelters, churches, or other facilities that provide help to the homeless, especially due to the inclement weather.
"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 added. "We do care."
