2 young homeless siblings freeze to death in family van in Detroit, officials say

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Police say two young homeless siblings likely froze to death as they bundled up with their relatives inside a van in Detroit months after the mother’s attempts to get into a city homeless shelter were not answered, officials said Tuesday.

Young Detroit homeless siblings froze to death

The siblings, a 2-year-old girl and her brother, 9, died Monday afternoon after the family pulled into a casino and parked on the ninth floor to sleep, police said during a press conference. The family typically parked near casinos because it was a safe spot and they could access bathrooms.

Seven family members were living in the van, including the two children who perished, their two siblings, their mother, and their grandmother and the grandmother’s child, according to the Detroit Police Department.

In the middle of the night, temperatures fell to low to mid-teens. The van reportedly stopped running due to mechanical issues and lost heat, leading the mother to call a family friend to help jumpstart the van.

Then, later that Monday afternoon, the mother noticed the 9-year-old boy wasn’t breathing and the family friend rushed him to the hospital.

The family friend returned to rush the 2-year-old and the entire family to the hospital after the grandmother realized that child was unresponsive.

Hyperthermia likely the cause for siblings who froze to death

The children likely died from hyperthermia, but a medical examiner will determine the official cause of death, officials said. The three other children, ages 13, 8, and 4, were reported fine but were checked out.

Calls for help reportedly not returned

Detroit mayor Mike Duggan said the mother reached out to the city’s homeless response team three times, most recently in November. He said the mother did not call the city’s homeless response team again after November and the city never followed up with the family.

“For whatever reason, this wasn’t deemed an emergency that caused an outreach worker to visit the family. … As far as we’ve been able to determine so far, the family never called back again for service,” Duggan said.

Duggan called it a “terrible day in Detroit” and said there is an active investigation to prevent another tragedy.

No charges have been filed, but police have interviewed the mother and grandmother.

GoFundMe

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been created to help the family during this difficult time. To donate, visit the fundraiser here.