Kids, 2 and 9, died from carbon monoxide poisoning in parking garage, MI cops say
_fitted.png "A criminal investigation has been launched after two children died after they were left inside a van their mother parked in a casino parking garage in Detroit, Michigan, police say.")
UPDATE: Two children who died after police say their mother left them inside a van with the engine running in a parking garage didn’t freeze to death as initially thought, Michigan officials told news outlets.
The kids, 2 and 9 years old, were taken to a Detroit hospital when their mother found them unresponsive inside the van. Cold weather conditions were believed to have caused their deaths, but further investigation revealed they died due to carbon monoxide poisoning, the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office told WXYZ.
“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 a statement obtained by WWJ.
The original story continues below:
Michigan police are investigating after two children froze to death inside a van their mother left running in a Detroit casino’s parking garage, news outlets report.
The woman pulled into the garage at the Hollywood Casino Hotel at Greektown at about 1 a.m. Monday, Feb. 10, then parked on the 9th floor and left the engine on, police told WXYZ.
There were five children sleeping in the van when it ran out of gas, and police say the mother noticed one of them — her 9-year-old son — had stopped breathing, the station reported.
She called a friend and asked them to take the boy to a hospital, police said, the Detroit Free Press reported. A short time later, the children’s grandmother discovered the woman’s 2-year-old daughter had stopped breathing too, according to police, and she was taken to the same hospital.
Both children were pronounced dead at the hospital, and investigators say they froze to death, the outlet reported.
The mother was detained and told police she had parked in the garage because she had nowhere else to go, according to the newspaper.
“I know that they had an address on the east side in an apartment complex, but … they said that they were unsheltered. They didn’t have a residence to go to,” Cpt. Nathan Duda told WDIV.
A criminal investigation is underway.
“It has to be. I mean, I don’t think anyone really wants to think about that at the moment with the two children passing. But the reality is that the circumstances do have to be examined,” he told the outlet, adding that this tragedy could have been avoided.
“There’s actually respite centers or relief centers all across the city. There are so many resources available, and these resources will keep families together. The children and the mother may stay in the same spot, in the same building,” Duda said. “This was unnecessary. It didn’t have to happen this way.”
McClatchy News reached out to the Hollywood Casino at Greektown for comment, but didn’t immediately receive a response.
This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Kids, 2 and 9, died from carbon monoxide poisoning in parking garage, MI cops say."