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CV NEWS FEED // Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Feb. 11 that the fact that two homeless children froze to death the previous day even while family shelter beds were available “just a few miles away” compel the city to “rethink everything we’re doing,” FOX News reported.
The children, 2-year-old Amillah Currie and 9-year-old Darnell Currie Jr., were living with their mother Tateona Williams and four other family members in a van, according to a report from 7 News Detroit, an ABC affiliate. Williams told the outlet that she has been homeless for about three months and was about to begin a new job this week.
According to the Detroit Police Department, the family parked Feb. 9 at the ninth floor of a casino parking lot to sleep, and the temperatures dropped into the teens, FOX News reported. The police said the van stopped running in the middle of the night, at which point Williams called a family friend for help.
By noon on Feb. 10, Williams realized Darnell was not breathing, and the family friend took him to the hospital. The children’s grandmother, who was also in the van, then realized that Amillah was not breathing. Though the cause of death is not officially determined yet, both children likely died from hypothermia, according to the police.
The children’s funerals are next week, according to a Feb. 13 report from The Detroit News.
Duggan said that the last time the children’s mother tried to contact the city’s homeless response team was in November 2024, according to FOX News. Duggan said that when the mother had reached out to the homeless services, she explained that she was currently staying with family but would have to leave soon.
“In the course of that conversation, there was no resolution reached on where they would go,” Duggan said.
The mother did not call the response team again, “and the city never followed up with the family afterward,” FOX reported.
The mother had also called once earlier in 2024 and once in 2023.
Williams told PEOPLE Magazine that after contacting Detroit’s homeless services in November, she continued to call other services.
“I kept calling. I called out of state, cities, different states,” she said. “I asked Detroit for help. And they still would say, when I called, they didn’t have no beds. But it took two [of] my kids to die… for them to want to help.”
Williams told 7 News Detroit that “everybody who’s around me knows I loved those kids more than I loved myself.” She encouraged those facing similar situations to get help.
“I don’t want anyone else to go through what I’m feeling,” she said.
According to another report from The Detroit News, Duggan also said that in December, the city had opened a drop-in shelter in anticipation for extreme weather.
“At least as far as we’ve been able to determine so far, the family never called back for service,” Duggan said. “And as far as we’ve been able to tell, our homeless staff never proactively reached out to say, ‘What happened with your situation? Was it resolved?’ Or to indicate there might be room available.”
Duggan said that officials will be investigating the homeless services to determine gaps in the system, according to a separate 7 News Detroit report.
In the northern Michigan county of Marquette, a group of organizations that serves those facing homelessness issued a statement Feb. 13 saying they “are deeply saddened and shaken by the loss of two young lives in Detroit this week.”
“The death of these children is a reminder of the urgent and life-threatening circumstances faced by individuals and families experiencing homelessness, particularly in the harsh winter months,” the organizations said, according to outlet Upper Michigan Source.
The five signatories said the tragedy underscores the importance of proactive care that follows up, reaches out, and finds long-term solutions for families in need.
“While we mourn the loss of these children, we are also reminded of the responsibility we share as a community to increase our efforts and improve how we engage with families in crisis,” the signatories said. They also called local officials and communities to work together to better address and help in these situations. “The lives of families depend on our collective commitment to addressing this issue with urgency, compassion, and the necessary resources.”
