DETROIT (WXYZ) — Two children were found dead inside a parked vehicle at the Hollywood Casino Hotel at Greektown parking garage in downtown Detroit Monday afternoon, police said.
Watch the latest press conference from Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and Interim Police Chief Todd Bettison in the video below
The Detroit Police Department says a family pulled into the casino parking garage on around 1 a.m. They were parked on the ninth floor in a van that ran out of gas.
"They said that they were unsheltered and they didn't have a residence to go to," Detroit Police Capt. Nathan Duda said.
According to police, five children were sleeping in the van. Around noon, police said the mother noticed that one of her kids, a 9-year-old boy, wasn't breathing. She then called a friend to take him to the Children's Hospital of Michigan.
While they were at the hospital, police said the grandmother noticed that another child, a 2-year-old girl, was also not breathing. The friend then returned and took the other child to the hospital as well.
Both kids were pronounced dead at the hospital.
"Very sad. Especially as a father, I just can't imagine what the family is feeling. I wish it wouldn't have happened," Duda said.
The other three children were treated and evaluated at the hospital. They were listed in stable condition Monday afternoon. The cause of deaths have not yet been determined, but police believe they froze to death.
On Monday, Interim Police Chief Todd Bettison said he heard the family had been moving from casino to casino in their vehicle. He said he thinks the family had been living in the vehicle for two to three months.
"From what I've been told, the mother had a lot of pride. She loved her kids and she wanted to keep the family together," Bettison said.
According to Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, the family had reached out to the city's homeless response team on Nov. 25 saying they had been living with a family and they couldn't keep living there and needed a place to go.
During the conversation, Duggan said that there was no resolution reached and that an outreach worker was not sent out. In emergency situations, Duggan said outreach workers are sent out.
He said that the family never called back, and as far as they know, no one reached back out to the family to see if their situation was resolved.
Duggan said that he has directed Deputy Mayor Melia Howard to work with the city's Housing and Revitalization Department (HRD) Director Julie Schneider and conduct a widespread investigation into how this happened and come up with plans to make sure it never happens again.
Police are reminding the public of warning centers available in the city of Detroit. Warming Center information can be found on the city's website.
City of Detroit Homelessness Solutions Director Terra Linzner says city shelters have additional beds ready for residents in need.
"We continue to try to provide as many resources as possible. Really just to try to prevent situations like this," Linzner said.
"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... This was unnecessary. It didn't have to happen this way," Duda said.
Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries is also reminding residents that during these cold winter months, their shelters can be used by anyone. You can head to their website to learn more.
"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," Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries director of communications Chiara Clayton said.
**Editor's note: A previous version of this article had a different timeline of events. Police later clarified the timing of the incident and we corrected the story accordingly.
