2 children found dead in van in Detroit casino parking garage died of carbon monoxide; no charges filed
No charges will be filed after two children died of carbon monoxide poisoning while inside a van parked in a Detroit casino parking garage. Investigators say their family was trying to live out of the van.
The case involved a 9-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl who were found to be not breathing as family members checked on them in February 2025. Three other children in the vehicle were also taken to an area hospital and admitted.
Detroit police said that the family of five children, along with their mother and a grandmother, appeared to be living in the van, which was parked for at least three days in a Hollywood Casino parking garage on Lafayette in Greektown.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner's office later ruled that the manner of death was accidental, the prosecutor's office said.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy issued a statement Wednesday, almost a year after the incident, saying that no criminal charges would be filed against the children's mother, based on insufficient evidence to support such a case.
"However, we remain very concerned about the welfare of the remaining living children," Worthy said. "While we, like many others, were heartened about the number of people and organizations that stepped in to help this family, we hope that those efforts will continue, and that those who are truly empowered to protect these children will continue to do so diligently."
In its follow-up report, the prosecutor's office said the investigation "was extensive and protracted by some issues with obtaining records." Prosecutors reviewed evidence that included a surveillance video of the van at the garage, medical and school records for the children, and interviews with the surviving children.
The van was inoperable when it was seized by the Detroit Police Department, prosecutors said. Initially, the van was believed to have run out of gas, but a mechanical issue was found.
"Once a new battery was placed in the van, it was able to be turned on and tested. A carbon monoxide leak was detected within minutes in the van where the two children had been sleeping," prosecutors said.