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After the tragic news story broke about the mom and her 5 kids who slept in their van overnight in a casino parking, and 2 of the kids freezing to death, local media called DRMM to get a response and also resources for those who may be experiencing homelessness.
DETROIT – Police believe two children who stopped breathing inside a van at a Detroit casino parking garage froze to death.
Here’s what we know so far.
Investigators believe a mother and five children were inside a van at the parking garage for the Hollywood Casino in Detroit.
Around 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, the mother noticed that her 9-year-old son wasn’t breathing, police said.
The mother called a friend, who took the child and the mother to Children’s Hospital, according to authorities.
While those three were at the hospital, the children’s grandmother called and said another one of the kids — a 2-year-old girl — had also stopped breathing, police said.
The friend returned to the van, and the girl was also taken to the hospital.
Police said both children were pronounced dead at the hospital. It is believed they froze to death.
“I feel sad, very sad, especially as a father,” Detroit police Capt. Nathan Duda said. “I just can’t imagine what the family is feeling. I wish it hadn’t happened.”
At this point, investigators believe the mother drove the van into the parking garage around 1 a.m. Monday and went up to the ninth floor.
At some point in the morning, the van ran out of gas. Temperatures dropped into the teens that night.
Police said they think the family was living in the van and called the two deaths “preventable.”
“I know that they had an address on the east side in an apartment complex, but her, the mother, and the other family member that ended up conveying the children — they said that they were unsheltered,” Duda said. “They didn’t have a residence to go to.”
The three surviving children were taken to the hospital for evaluation and treatment. They were born in 2011, 2016, and 2020, according to authorities.
Police said those children are expected to be OK.
Children’s Protective Services is involved.
The mother sat down to speak with detectives, they said. She has not been arrested, but officers said they haven’t yet ruled out the possibility of charges.
“I don’t think anyone really wants to think about that at the moment, with the two children passing,” Duda said. “But the reality is that the circumstances do have to be examined. We have to figure out how to go forward.”
With police believing that the family was living in the van, they wanted to remind everyone that there are resources available for anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation.
“There’s actually respite centers or relief centers all across the city,” Duda said. “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. That way, the family is maintained. It’s kept whole. They have each other for support. This was unnecessary. It didn’t have to happen this way.
“I would just ask that people be aware of those that are in need. If you see somebody who appears unsheltered and it’s sub-zero or cold weather, please call 911. We’ll come. We’ll help.
“We’ll show up with all the right people to be able to offer resources to transport, to feed, to clothe, to give that person shelter. We do care. That’s a call we would like to get.”
Click here to view a list of warming centers.
“That story really kind of affected me, too, because at one point in time, I was the mom sleeping in the car with her children, and it kind of hurt me because at any point in time, it could have been one of my children being in that situation,” said Charlisa Williams, a mother of five children.
Williams said she found the home her family needed at the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries’ women’s shelter.
“It’s just very important that people understand that you don’t have to be outside,” said Chiara Clayton, of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries.
“There’s nothing wrong with asking people for help,” Williams said.
Both Williams and Clayton want anyone who needs help to know that it’s always available.
“We don’t turn people away,” Clayton said. “So even if there’s a situation where there isn’t a city ordinance, if someone comes to one of our shelters and needs services, we’re going to help them.”
The Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries is considering a partnership with different places where people might stay to live out of their vehicles. They’ll talk to employees and attendants at those places so that helpful information can be relayed to people who need it.
If you ever find yourself without shelter during cold temperatures, you can call the Detroit Housing Assistance Hotline at 866-313-2520.
Derick is the Digital Executive Producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.
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(CBS DETROIT) — The Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries surprised one family Monday afternoon.
It was a total surprise for Champrell Anderson as the mother of six was gifted a fully refurbished home in Detroit.
“I didn’t know any of this was happening to me,” Anderson said. “It’s important for me and my kids because now we can have a place to call our own.”
Anderson had been living in hotels with her children since October. But once her eldest daughter’s school principal found out the 17-year-old was living in a hotel and commuting to class every day to Detroit’s east side, he reached out to the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries.
“We heard the story of a displaced woman with six children, and we could not resist by trying to help her quickly,” said Chad Audi, the president and CEO of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries.
Audi helped gift the same family a Cadillac earlier in the week for transportation. He says it’s because giving is the ultimate blessing.
“Actually makes you feel way better than receiving anything, and today to make a difference in this working family who is trying hard, but the odds went against her. So today, I can’t describe in words how happy I am,” he said.
When Anderson walked into her new home, it was filled with police, local dignitaries, members of the Detroit school district, and contributors to the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries. All of them were there to congratulate her.
“I’m overwhelmed with two emotions — joy and happiness — right now,” said City Councilman at Large Coleman A. Young II.
Anderson will spend her first night in her new home Monday evening with her kids. She has one message for anyone else who may be struggling right now: “Blessings come when you don’t think they’re going to come.”
DETROIT (WXYZ) — There are few things that say “Merry Christmas” quite like a new car. Especially when it feels like life has been driving you as opposed to you driving it.
Chanprell Anderson, a single mother of six kids in Detroit, received an SUV from Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries, Detroit Police Commissioner Darryl Woods, Say Detroit, and Bishop Charles Ellis of Greater Grace Temple at Pershing High School on Monday.
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