Detroit Children’s Deaths in Van Attributed to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

The deaths of two children in February have prompted Detroit officials to investigate gaps in homelessness support services.

The Wayne County Medical Examiner confirmed that 2-year-old A’millah Currie and 9-year-old Darnell Currie Jr. died from carbon monoxide poisoning on February 10, not from hypothermia as initially suspected.
The children were in a van parked in a Detroit casino garage with their family, seeking shelter from freezing temperatures after their vehicle ran out of gas.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan acknowledged failures in the city’s homelessness response system, as the family had reached out for assistance multiple times without resolution.
Policy changes have been announced, including in-person visits for families at risk of losing housing, a 24-hour hotline, and police monitoring of parked cars used as shelter.
The Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries has since provided the surviving family members with a furnished home and support to prevent further homelessness.