Funeral held for 2 children who died from apparent hypothermia in Detroit
A group has stepped forward to provide a home for surviving family members of two Detroit children who died in a cold van in a casino parking garage, an official said.
A funeral was held Thursday for Darnell Currie Jr., 9, and A'millah Currie, 2, who were among five children and two adults in a van that stopped producing heat as the temperature fell far below freezing on Feb. 10.
Police believe the family was living in the van.
"It makes you want to break down because that could have been your child. That could have been anybody else's child," said Jessica Wiggins, who visited the funeral home Wednesday.
Police said the family had been staying in the vehicle for a few months. Mayor Mike Duggan said a preliminary report from the housing department showed the children's mother called a housing hotline in November but apparently wasn't served.
Duggan said the call came three weeks before officials opened a family drop-in center ahead of expected low temperatures. However, records show the family did not call back nor did a response team reach out for a follow-up. He said Deputy Mayor Melia Howard and Julia Schneider, the director of the Housing and Revitalization Department, will review the services.
"It's a terrible day in Detroit as we deal with the tragic loss of two young people," Duggan said in a news conference last week. "It's gonna make us rethink everything that we're doing. The heartbreaking part of this is that there were family shelter beds available just a few miles away ... But it brings home the point that having service available doesn't mean that much if residents who need them don't know how to access them."
Howard said a local group has stepped forward to pay rent for a year to house the family.
The video above previously aired on Feb. 13, 2025.