Woman Whose Two Children Froze To Death In A Van Said She Asked The City Of Detroit For Help

The family had been sleeping in their van in frigid weather for at least three months.

A mother is speaking out after two of her children died of apparent hypothermia in a Detroit casino parking garage.

Tateona Williams said that when her family was facing homelessness, she reached out to Detroit’s homeless response team at least three times for help. After not receiving assistance, she and her four children had to sleep in their van.

On Monday, Feb. 10, the mother said she woke up to find two of her children, ages two and nine years old, unresponsive. Williams called a friend who rushed the children to the hospital, where they were later pronounced dead from what appeared to be hypothermia. The family’s van ran out of gas overnight in below-freezing temperatures.

Although she didn’t appear to have any other choice, Williams says she is remorseful for sleeping in the van with her children.

“I regret having to sleep out there so bad. I tell them [her children ] I’m sorry, but I tried. I tried to keep hotels, I tried to pay people to stay there, but it wasn’t working for me.” Williams told WXYZ News in Detroit.

Williams is staying in a homeless shelter, and her two surviving children are living with relatives.

In a press conference, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan confirmed that Williams called the city’s homeless response team on Nov. 25 of last year, stating they had nowhere to go. According to Duggan, a family outreach worker should meet with families facing homelessness in an emergency. However, no outreach worker ever visited, and the family received no assistance.

“At least as far as we’ve been able to determine so far, the family never called back again for service,” Duggan said. “And as far as we’ve been able to tell, our homeless staff never proactively reached out to say, ‘What happened with your situation? Was it resolved?’”

Duggan has demanded a review of the city’s homeless services.

“We have to make sure that we do everything possible to make sure that this doesn’t happen again,” he said.

Detroit city officials urge anyone homeless or in imminent danger of homelessness to call (866) 313-2520. After 6 p.m., they can visit any Detroit police precinct for assistance.