Two children were found dead in a van in the parking garage of a Detroit casino on Monday and officials suspect the pair froze to death.
The children belonged to a family living in the van, officials said, according to WLS-TV.
Officials say the mother drove her van into the parking structure of the Hollywood Casino in Greektown at around 1 a.m., but ran out of gas and could not keep the vehicle running to keep the children warm. Low temperatures reached twelve degrees on Monday morning when the woman drove her van into the lot.
Early that morning, the woman found that her nine-year-old son was not breathing and called a family friend to pick them up to take the boy to the hospital.
While the mother and boy were at the hospital, the family’s grandmother called to say a two-year-old girl was also not breathing. That child was also driven to the hospital by the family friend.
The two children were both pronounced dead at the hospital. The causes of death have not been determined, but police say the children likely died from exposure to the cold.
A Detroit Police spokesperson confirmed that the woman was homeless, and the family was living in the van.
“Very sad. Especially as a father, I just can’t imagine what the family is feeling. I wish it wouldn’t have happened,” Detroit Police Capt. Nathan Duda said.
Three other children were treated at the hospital and released.
City officials reminded residents that the city has warming centers set up when temperatures reach dangerous lows.
“We’ve had quite a few cold snaps and it’s very dangerous. You can’t sustain being outside in these types of cold temperatures, so that’s why it’s so important people know they can come get a meal, they can get a place over their heads, they can get warm,” said Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries director of communications Chiara Clayton.
The DPD also hastened to note that, though the deaths occurred in the casino parking lot, the disaster was not related to gambling.
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