DETROIT – Two children who likely froze to death in a van outside a Detroit casino had been living in the vehicle with their family for a few months, moving around when possible, authorities said Tuesday.
Their mother had contacted City Hall on Nov. 25, seeking help with housing, but “no resolution” was reached, Mayor Mike Duggan said, a day after the tragedy.
“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.
“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?’ ” the mayor added.
Duggan and interim police Chief Todd Bettison spoke to reporters at a somber news conference, 24 hours after a 9-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl died of cold exposure in a van at a casino parking garage. There were three other children and two adults, including their mother, staying inside the vehicle amid below-freezing temperatures.
“It's a terrible day in Detroit,” Duggan said of the tragedy, adding that family shelter beds were available “just a few miles away.”
He gave his staff two weeks to review the history of the family’s contacts with the city.
Bettison declined to publicly share everything learned by investigators. He said the family had been living out of the vehicle for two to three months and sometimes chose to park at casinos for safety and access to restrooms.
The van stopped running overnight and couldn't produce heat, Bettison said.
The mayor said Detroit has 1,400 beds available for people seeking shelter and a help line to call.
“The shortest way for somebody in an emergency is go to a police precinct. They will navigate the process and get you to a shelter,” Duggan said.