Two children apparently froze to death while they slept in a van in a downtown casino parking structure, according to Detroit police.
A mother and her five children are unhoused and had been living in the van, a police spokesperson confirmed Monday. The mother pulled into the Hollywood Casino at Greektown parking garage about 1 a.m., drove up to the ninth floor, and parked, according to Capt. Nathan Duda of Detroit Police. The car ran out of gas soon after, he said.
By noon on Monday, police said the mother noticed one of her children, a 9-year-old boy, was not breathing and called a friend to take the child to the hospital.
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The children’s grandmother, who was with the family, then reported that another child, a 2-year-old girl also was not breathing, police said. The friend returned to the parking structure to take the girl to the hospital.
Both children died. Cause of death hasn’t yet been confirmed by the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office, but police said it appears the children froze to death.
The temperature early Monday was in the low- to mid-teens.
The three surviving children were hospitalized and are in stable condition, police said. Duda said the mother was detained, but not yet charged.
Hollywood Casino referred calls to Detroit police.
“They will not be providing any additional information/a statement at this time, but recommend following up with Detroit Police with any questions,” said Jason Brown, a spokesperson for Hollywood Casino at Greektown in an email to the Free Press.
Where to find resources for shelters, warming centers
Warming centers and respite locations are available across metro Detroit. Wintertime and frigid conditions can be fatal for those who are homeless and living out on the streets.
Detroit: To get into shelters and warming centers, families and individuals must call the Coordinated Assessment Model, or CAM — the main way for people facing homelessness in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park to access housing help. To reach CAM, those in need of shelter can call at 313-305-0311, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday, according to its website.
People can also go to an in-person CAM site at the following locations:
- Cass Community Social Services: 11850 Woodrow Wilson St.; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday
- NOAH at Central: 23 E. Adams Ave. (second floor); 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday to Thursday
Outside of CAM’s hours, people experiencing homelessness can go to three warming centers. Space is limited, according to CAM Detroit.
- Cass Community Social Services (families and single women): 1534 Webb St.
- Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (families and single women): 12900 W. Chicago
- Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (single men): 3535 Third Ave.
For more information, go to camdetroit.org.
Detroit recreation centers and public libraries are available during regular operating hours. The Detroit Public Library main library in Midtown is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; noon to 8 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday, and 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. For neighborhood library branch hours, go to detroitpubliclibrary.org. For a list of city of Detroit recreation centers and when they are open, go to https://camdetroit.org/code-blue/. Detroiters who are facing homelessness or housing insecurity can also call the city of Detroit’s Housing Resource Help Line at 866-313-2520.
Wayne County: For a roundup of warming centers, go to https://bit.ly/WayneCountyWarmingCenters.
Macomb County: For a list of warming centers in Macomb County and resources for those facing homelessness, go to bit.ly/MacombCountyWarmingCenters and download the list. The list was updated in November 2024.
Oakland County: For a map of available warming centers, go to bit.ly/3CjF2Zi.
To find an emergency shelter and other resources by ZIP code, call the Michigan 211 service or go to mi211.org/.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Andrea Sahouri covers criminal justice for the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at[email protected] or on X:@andreamsahouri.
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