Officials list carbon monoxide toxicity as cause of death for 2 Detroit children who died while sleeping in a van
The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office released the official cause of death of two children who died while sleeping in a van with family in Detroit.
Officials said 2-year-old A'Millah Currie and 9-year-old Darnell Currie Jr. died from carbon monoxide toxicity.
"Complete examinations were performed at the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office on February 11, 2025, and, after the return of relevant studies, the cause and manner of death were certified on March 5," Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. LokMan Sung, said in a written statement.
The Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison issued the following statement:
"DPD received the medical examiner's report which determined that the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. We will continue investigating the facts and circumstances of the case and submit our findings to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office."
The two children were found unresponsive on Feb. 10 by their mother, Tateona Williams. Police say the family appeared to be living in the van that was parked in a Hollywood Casino parking structure on Beaubien. It was initially believed that the children died from apparent hypothermia due to cold temperatures that morning.
Following their deaths, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced that the city was going to review its services provided for families after it was discovered that Williams called for housing assistance months before the tragedy. Duggan said Deputy Mayor Melia Howard and Julia Schneider, the director of the Housing and Revitalization Department, would review those services.
"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," Duggan said at the time.
A week ago, Williams received a new home from the city and the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries.
