The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said they won’t issue charges against a mother of two children who died last February from carbon monoxide toxicity while living out of a van parked at a Detroit casino parking garage.
The announcement comes nearly a year after the children’s deaths put a spotlight on Detroit’s homelessness response system and prompted then Mayor Mike Duggan to launch a seven-point plan to address gaps in the system. The family was unhoused, according to authorities at the time, and city officials had released a report on the mother’s attempts to get housing help from December 2022 to November 2024.
“There were many public pronouncements by police and elected officials in this case. It is important to note that the warrant review was necessary in this case and solely within our purview. Those statements in some respects hampered our process. That being said, there will be no criminal charges in this case,” said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy in a news release.
“However, we remain very concerned about the welfare of the remaining living children. While we, like many others, were heartened about the number of people and organizations that stepped in to help this family, we hope that those efforts will continue, and that those who are truly empowered to protect these children will continue to do so diligently.”
Here’s what happened, according to the news release: On Feb. 10, just before 1:30 a.m., the children’s mother parked her van at the Greektown Casino parking garage with her family, including her children, 2-year-old Amillah Currie and 9-year-old Darnell Currie Jr., as well as two other daughters, ages 4 and 8. The woman’s mother was also in the van with her own 13-year-old son.
“However, we remain very concerned about the welfare of the remaining living children. While we, like many others, were heartened about the number of people and organizations that stepped in to help this family, we hope that those efforts will continue, and that those who are truly empowered to protect these children will continue to do so diligently.”
Here’s what happened, according to the news release: On Feb. 10, just before 1:30 a.m., the children’s mother parked her van at the Greektown Casino parking garage with her family, including her children, 2-year-old Amillah Currie and 9-year-old Darnell Currie Jr., as well as two other daughters, ages 4 and 8. The woman’s mother was also in the van with her own 13-year-old son.
The family’s van was parked with the engine running in frigid temperatures overnight. The family was apparently unhoused, according to authorities.
Later that morning, the mother noticed that her son was unresponsive and called a friend and told the woman there was no gas in the van. That woman and a man arrived at the garage in a sedan with gas just before 12 p.m. Shortly after, the mother exited the van, pulled out her son and took him into the back seat of the sedan. The child was dropped off at the Children’s Hospital and was pronounced dead.
The grandmother found that Amillah was not breathing. The couple then took Amillah, the grandmother and the other children back to the hospital where Amillah was pronounced dead as well.
In early March, the Wayne County Medical Examiner concluded that both children died of carbon monoxide toxicity and the deaths were accidental. Later that month, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office received surveillance video of the van in the garage for Feb. 8 to 10 because the mother, authorities said, was parked there for days before the deaths.
Evidence also included “photos of the interior of the van documenting feces and urine … in the van along with bags of trash and children’s clothing scattered through the van” on Feb. 10 and a bong, rolling tray and glass jar, according to the prosecutor’s office.
When seized by Detroit police, the van was inoperable. After the car was turned on with a new battery and tested, authorities detected a carbon monoxide leak “within minutes.”