GoFundMe started for mom whose two kids died in freezing van in Detroit parking structure

A GoFundMe for a local mother whose two kids died this week after sleeping in an unheated van in a Detroit casino parking structure as temperatures dipped below freezing had generated $40,000 as of Friday afternoon.

Angelique McNaughton, a GoFundMe spokeswoman, said it will work closely with the fundraiser’s organizer “to ensure funds safely reach Tateona Williams.”

“In the meantime, funds are being safely held by our payment processors,” said McNaughton.

Funeral services will be held next week for Williams’ daughter, A’millah Currie, 2, and her son, Darnell Currie, Jr., 9.

Authorities say Williams had been homeless for about two to three months, sleeping with her children in her van in various casino parking structures, when she pulled into the Hollywood Casino parking structure around 1 a.m. on Monday. Temperatures dipped below freezing that night and police say Williams’ van ran out of gas or had a mechanical failure.

Williams said when she tried to wake up her son, Darnell, on Monday, she realized he wasn’t breathing. He was rushed to Children’s Hospital and pronounced dead, as was A’millah.

The GoFundMe’s organizer, only listed as Javeina M., asks those who contribute not to judge Williams.

“She thought she was protecting her babies by keeping them close to her,” she wrote.

City officials, meanwhile, say they are in the process of lining up housing for Williams.

“Our Department of Housing & Revitalization is working diligently to secure stable housing for the family,” said Detroit Deputy Mayor Melia Howard in a statement Thursday. “We are hopeful that we will have them settled into a safe and comfortable home by this weekend.”

Mayor Mike Duggan has called for review of the city’s homeless services, help line and outreach after city records found Williams reached out to the city at least three times for help. The most recent attempt was in late November 2024.