DETROIT, MI - Detroit Police revealed Monday that two young children, a nine-year-old and a two-year-old, froze to death in the early hours of the morning while they slept in a van overnight in a Detroit Casino’s parking garage. The children were sleeping in the van with three others- aged 11, nine, and four- and their mother, Tateona Williams on the ninth floor of the Hollywood Casino parking structure when the vehicle ran out of gas.
The children were identified as nine-year-old Darnell Jr. and two-year-old Amelia, according to the father of the children, Darnell Currie Sr., who spoke with the local Detroit ABC affiliate.
Williams said she was homeless and had been living in the vehicle for three months with her four kids (including Darnell Jr. and Amelia), her mother, and two teenage siblings.
Currie said that Williams never told him she was living in the van. "She ain't ever said nothing to me. Nothing. So, all them sob other stories, they can cut all that. No, she did not," he told ABC. "She just asked can I get 'em for a couple days, but I told her I'm working and all that and I'm out here. We're not close to each other. So, I couldn't, but she knows all my family is right around the corner from her." He said he hadn't seen his children in about a month but that they FaceTime.
Detroit Police Captain Nathan Duda told reporters that the family had arrived at the Casino at about 1:00 a.m. according to Detroit News. The mother of five reportedly contacted a family member around noon when she noticed that one of the children wasn’t breathing.
When the family member, identified by Fox 2 Detroit as the children’s godmother, arrived, she noticed the second child had also stopped breathing. The godmother rushed the children to an area hospital, where Detroit PD was summoned. The three surviving children were reportedly in decent condition.
Captain Duda told Fox 2 that the family had been living inside the van, and that early indications are that the two children froze to death. "(I feel) sad, very sad. Especially as a father. I just can't imagine what the family is feeling. I wish it hadn't have happened," Duda told the outlet. Asked about the length of time it took the children to freeze he remarked, “It's incredibly fast."
"I don't think anyone really wants to think about that at the moment with two children passed, but the reality is that the circumstances do have to be examined," Duda told Detroit News.
Homelessness Solutions director for Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department said in a statement that the Homeless Outreach Request page on the city's website is available for anyone sleeping outside. She added, "The events today are heartbreaking.”
Duda added that a criminal investigation “has to happen,” and that Child Protective Services are now involved. The mother was detained and provided a statement but was not taken into custody. Duda concluded, “This was unnecessary. It didn't have to happen this way."
Per the report, Williams and her children were last connected with an address on the East Side of Detroit but hadn’t lived there for some time and are suspected to have been living in the van for at least a few months.
Williams spoke with WXYZ reporters and said “I lost the one who made me a mother (and) I lost a two-year-old. I'm dying inside. It hurts. I feel like my heart is breaking, and I have two more kids to live for."
Both Williams and sources with the city told WXYZ that she sought assistance but none came. "I asked everybody for help. I called out of state, I called cities I didn't know, I called cities people asked me to call. I even asked Detroit — I've been on CAM list for the longest," Williams said. "Everybody now wants to help after I lost two kids? I've been asked for help." She was set to start a new job on Wednesday.
"It took my two kids to die for ya'll to help me? It just doesn't work like that," Williams said. "Everybody got this picture when I know in my heart, everybody who's around me knows I loved those kids more than I loved myself."
Mayor Mike Duggan has reportedly opened a wide-ranging investigation into the children’s deaths and the lack of response that Williams experienced. He told reporters that the Williams family never called back and no one subsequently contacted her family.
The children were identified as nine-year-old Darnell Jr. and two-year-old Amelia, according to the father of the children, Darnell Currie Sr., who spoke with the local Detroit ABC affiliate.
Williams said she was homeless and had been living in the vehicle for three months with her four kids (including Darnell Jr. and Amelia), her mother, and two teenage siblings.
Currie said that Williams never told him she was living in the van. "She ain't ever said nothing to me. Nothing. So, all them sob other stories, they can cut all that. No, she did not," he told ABC. "She just asked can I get 'em for a couple days, but I told her I'm working and all that and I'm out here. We're not close to each other. So, I couldn't, but she knows all my family is right around the corner from her." He said he hadn't seen his children in about a month but that they FaceTime.
Detroit Police Captain Nathan Duda told reporters that the family had arrived at the Casino at about 1:00 a.m. according to Detroit News. The mother of five reportedly contacted a family member around noon when she noticed that one of the children wasn’t breathing.
When the family member, identified by Fox 2 Detroit as the children’s godmother, arrived, she noticed the second child had also stopped breathing. The godmother rushed the children to an area hospital, where Detroit PD was summoned. The three surviving children were reportedly in decent condition.
Captain Duda told Fox 2 that the family had been living inside the van, and that early indications are that the two children froze to death. "(I feel) sad, very sad. Especially as a father. I just can't imagine what the family is feeling. I wish it hadn't have happened," Duda told the outlet. Asked about the length of time it took the children to freeze he remarked, “It's incredibly fast."
"I don't think anyone really wants to think about that at the moment with two children passed, but the reality is that the circumstances do have to be examined," Duda told Detroit News.
Homelessness Solutions director for Detroit Housing and Revitalization Department said in a statement that the Homeless Outreach Request page on the city's website is available for anyone sleeping outside. She added, "The events today are heartbreaking.”
Duda added that a criminal investigation “has to happen,” and that Child Protective Services are now involved. The mother was detained and provided a statement but was not taken into custody. Duda concluded, “This was unnecessary. It didn't have to happen this way."
Per the report, Williams and her children were last connected with an address on the East Side of Detroit but hadn’t lived there for some time and are suspected to have been living in the van for at least a few months.
Williams spoke with WXYZ reporters and said “I lost the one who made me a mother (and) I lost a two-year-old. I'm dying inside. It hurts. I feel like my heart is breaking, and I have two more kids to live for."
Both Williams and sources with the city told WXYZ that she sought assistance but none came. "I asked everybody for help. I called out of state, I called cities I didn't know, I called cities people asked me to call. I even asked Detroit — I've been on CAM list for the longest," Williams said. "Everybody now wants to help after I lost two kids? I've been asked for help." She was set to start a new job on Wednesday.
"It took my two kids to die for ya'll to help me? It just doesn't work like that," Williams said. "Everybody got this picture when I know in my heart, everybody who's around me knows I loved those kids more than I loved myself."
Mayor Mike Duggan has reportedly opened a wide-ranging investigation into the children’s deaths and the lack of response that Williams experienced. He told reporters that the Williams family never called back and no one subsequently contacted her family.
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