Detroit took the lives of two children, 9-year-old Darnell Currie Jr. and 2-year-old A’Millah Currie, inside a van in a parking garage in the Hollywood Casino. Initially, authorities suspected hypothermia due to extremely cold 17°F (-8°C) weather to have killed the children. Later, autopsy findings confirmed death due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
The autopsies conducted on February 11, 2025, by Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that both children died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Both deaths were ruled accidental. Toxicologists have indicated that the fatal gas could have seeped into the vehicle due to a mechanical flaw, internal leak, or improper ventilation. Investigators are still attempting to discover how fatal levels of carbon monoxide accumulated in the van.
The children’s parents were homeless for months before the accident and were living in their van. Their mother, Tateona Williams, had struggled to locate shelter from Detroit’s homeless services but was unable to find stable shelter. The harsh, cold winter with below-freezing weather conditions forced them to use their vehicle as temporary shelter.
Williams and her family, along with two deceased children, two other siblings, a fifth child, and their grandmother, left their van in the parking garage in the Hollywood Casino for refuge on February 9, 2025. They were taking refuge in various casino garages since there was no safer alternative. At a certain point in the evening, heat was lost in the van.
When Williams woke up about noon on February 10, she found 9-year-old son Darnell unresponsive with froth issuing from his mouth. She panicked and called a friend for help, who took Darnell to Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Still in the casino, the children’s grandmother realized that 2-year-old A’Millah was unresponsive. The friend went back to rush the toddler to the hospital, but both children were found to be deceased upon their arrival.
The tragedy resulted in a concentrated focus on Detroit’s homeless aid system. Many asked how the family was not provided with sufficient assistance despite making several attempts to seek shelter.
In response, Detroit’s Mayor Mike Duggan issued several policy reforms to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future, including:
A 24-hour homeless response hotline to deliver immediate assistance to families in crisis.
In-person social worker visits to families with housing instability on a required basis.
Increased emergency shelter capacity and expanded outreach to provide timely interventions to homeless individuals and families.
In response to the death of Darnell and A’Millah, the City of Detroit and Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries stepped in to provide stable shelter for surviving members of the family. The accident also sparked a nationwide conversation about perils of carbon monoxide poisoning in an enclosed space and the need for better homeless care systems.
