2 Detroit kids sleeping in van died of carbon monoxide, not hypothermia, medical examiner says
The cause of death of two young children who were sleeping in their family's van was revealed to be carbon monoxide poisoning and not exposure to the cold as Detroit authorities first thought.
The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office said it conducted examinations Feb. 11, the day after Amillah Currie, 2, and Darnell Currie, 9, died. Their mother, Tateona Williams, said she found them unresponsive and not breathing after the van the family was living in ran out of gas.
The medical examiner's office said the manner of death for both children was an accident. Williams could not immediately be reached Thursday.
Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said in a statement Thursday that the department received the medical examiner's report and "will continue investigating the facts and circumstances of the case and submit our findings to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office."
Police declined to answer further questions.
Toxicologist Aimee Nefcy told NBC affiliate WDIV of Detroit that there could have been an internal leak inside the vehicle or carbon monoxide could have filtered in through a cracked window.
"Once it gets inside the van, it settles to the bottom because it's heavier than normal air," she said. "And it layers down on the bottom of the van and it doesn't circulate out because all the windows are up higher than where the carbon monoxide is sitting."
Hours before the deaths, Williams had parked on the ninth floor of Hollywood Casino's parking garage. Bettison has said that he believed the family used the garage for safety and to use the casino's bathroom. The temperature in the city that day was around 12 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service.
Inside the van were Williams and her four children, her mother and her mother's child, People magazine reported.
It's believed the family had moved around from various casino parking lots. Mayor Mike Duggan said at a news conference last month that the family reached out to a homeless response team Nov. 25 and said they had been living with another family but could no longer stay there and needed help finding a new place.
Duggan said that during that conversation, "there was no resolution reached on where they would go," and an outreach worker did not visit the family. The family had also reached out for help in the summer and the previous year, the mayor said. He called for a review into the family's request for assistance.
Williams has since been given a new home. The city of Detroit and the Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries posted a video last week of her receiving the keys.
"We had to fix it, prep it, furnish it and then give them a good start so they don't have to go one day with no food or being outside anymore," said the organization's CEO and president, Chad Audi.
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Wales Online
20 hours ago
- Wales Online
Man attacked teen with fence post he believed was 'up to no good' breaking his arm and wrist
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A man launched an attack on a teenager he believed was "up to no good" near his property, breaking his arm and wrist, a court heard. George Kovacs assaulted the 17-year-old with a fence post and pole and then threatened to kill him if he returned. A judge said he had read about issues involving people misbehaving and causing damage in the area where the defendant lived, but sending the 57-year-old father to prison, he said: "What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property." Amy Edwards, prosecuting, told Caernarfon Crown Court on December 17, 2022, two then-17-year-old friends were walking in the mountains in the Waunfawr area of Gwynedd when they noticed an abandoned outbuilding and "out of curiosity" walked towards it, reports WalesOnline. Ms Edwards said as they approached the building a vehicle drove past them before stopping and reversing back to them. The driver of the vehicle, Kovacs, got out and shouted "What the f*** are you boys doing here?" The court heard that one of the teenagers, Kian Williams, who is now an adult, apologised to the driver but Kovacs continued "ranting" and the teenager told him: "There's no need to be a d*** about it." The prosecutor said Kovacs then grabbed a fence post and began swinging it around and striking Mr Williams, with the teenager putting his arms up to protect himself. The force of the blows were such that the post snapped. The court heard the defendant continued shouting that the boys should leave the area before grabbing Mr Williams, pushing him up against a wall and throwing a number of punches, all of which missed their target. The prosecutor said the teenagers made for the footpath but Kovacs armed himself with a pole and followed them. The defendant struck Mr Williams a number of times to the legs and the back, though the blows to the back were cushioned by the rucksack he was wearing. Kovacs told the teenagers: "I'm going to kill you... come back again and I will slice you." For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter The court heard that the teenagers made their way home and Mr Williams was subsequently taken to Bangor's Ysbyty Gwynedd by his father where doctors found he had a fractured arm and a fracture to bones in his wrist which required surgery. Meanwhile Kovacs put a post on a Facebook saying: "The lads who came from Liverpool or Manchester to my place, don't come back... next time they will have more then just a limp. Merry Christmas." He also said he had the registration of a vehicle they had been seen getting into. The court heard Kovacs was arrested and interviewed and admitted striking the teenager with a pole saying his actions were justified as he was protecting his property. In an impact statement written in May this year which was read to the court the victim said he still suffers with pain in his wrist and gets flashbacks to what happened in Waunfawr. He said he feels fearful when he goes out and constantly thinks of the defendant, adding: "This incident has taught me a lot of lessons about the man I want to be. I want to be the complete opposite of him." George Kovacs, of Ceunant, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, had previously pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has five previous convictions for eight offences including weapons offences but none for violence. Laura Knightly, for Kovacs, said the defendant lived in a "secluded area" with his wife and children and said he was a hard-working man. She, while in no way excusing his actions on the day in question, said there had been "concerns and fears in the area for some time" and that Kovacs' suspicions of the teenagers and his fears of what might happen "caused him to behave in this out-of-character way". The barrister added that her client thinks he may have blacked out during the incident. Judge Timothy Petts said in December 2022 Kovacs saw two young men in the vicinity of a property near to where he lived and, believing they were "up to no good", he confronted them. He said he had read references written to the court detailing problems with people misbehaving and causing damage in the rea but he told the defendant: "What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property." With a 15% discount for his guilty plea Kovacs was sentenced to 33 months in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was also made the subject of a 10-year restraining order banning him from contacting his victim. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here Find crime figures for your area
North Wales Live
a day ago
- North Wales Live
Man attacked teen with fence post he believed was 'up to no good' breaking his arm and wrist
A man launched an attack on a teenager he believed was "up to no good" near his property, breaking his arm and wrist, a court heard. George Kovacs assaulted the 17-year-old with a fence post and pole and then threatened to kill him if he returned. A judge said he had read about issues involving people misbehaving and causing damage in the area where the defendant lived, but sending the 57-year-old father to prison, he said: "What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property." Amy Edwards, prosecuting, told Caernarfon Crown Court on December 17, 2022, two then-17-year-old friends were walking in the mountains in the Waunfawr area of Gwynedd when they noticed an abandoned outbuilding and "out of curiosity" walked towards it, reports WalesOnline. Ms Edwards said as they approached the building a vehicle drove past them before stopping and reversing back to them. The driver of the vehicle, Kovacs, got out and shouted "What the f*** are you boys doing here?" The court heard that one of the teenagers, Kian Williams, who is now an adult, apologised to the driver but Kovacs continued "ranting" and the teenager told him: "There's no need to be a d*** about it." The prosecutor said Kovacs then grabbed a fence post and began swinging it around and striking Mr Williams, with the teenager putting his arms up to protect himself. The force of the blows were such that the post snapped. The court heard the defendant continued shouting that the boys should leave the area before grabbing Mr Williams, pushing him up against a wall and throwing a number of punches, all of which missed their target. The prosecutor said the teenagers made for the footpath but Kovacs armed himself with a pole and followed them. The defendant struck Mr Williams a number of times to the legs and the back, though the blows to the back were cushioned by the rucksack he was wearing. Kovacs told the teenagers: "I'm going to kill you... come back again and I will slice you." For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter The court heard that the teenagers made their way home and Mr Williams was subsequently taken to Bangor's Ysbyty Gwynedd by his father where doctors found he had a fractured arm and a fracture to bones in his wrist which required surgery. Meanwhile Kovacs put a post on a Facebook saying: "The lads who came from Liverpool or Manchester to my place, don't come back... next time they will have more then just a limp. Merry Christmas." He also said he had the registration of a vehicle they had been seen getting into. The court heard Kovacs was arrested and interviewed and admitted striking the teenager with a pole saying his actions were justified as he was protecting his property. In an impact statement written in May this year which was read to the court the victim said he still suffers with pain in his wrist and gets flashbacks to what happened in Waunfawr. He said he feels fearful when he goes out and constantly thinks of the defendant, adding: "This incident has taught me a lot of lessons about the man I want to be. I want to be the complete opposite of him." George Kovacs, of Ceunant, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, had previously pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has five previous convictions for eight offences including weapons offences but none for violence. Laura Knightly, for Kovacs, said the defendant lived in a "secluded area" with his wife and children and said he was a hard-working man. She, while in no way excusing his actions on the day in question, said there had been "concerns and fears in the area for some time" and that Kovacs' suspicions of the teenagers and his fears of what might happen "caused him to behave in this out-of-character way". The barrister added that her client thinks he may have blacked out during the incident. Judge Timothy Petts said in December 2022 Kovacs saw two young men in the vicinity of a property near to where he lived and, believing they were "up to no good", he confronted them. He said he had read references written to the court detailing problems with people misbehaving and causing damage in the rea but he told the defendant: "What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property." With a 15% discount for his guilty plea Kovacs was sentenced to 33 months in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was also made the subject of a 10-year restraining order banning him from contacting his victim.
Wales Online
2 days ago
- Wales Online
He throttled a teenager with a fence post, then bragged on Facebook he'd do even worse
He throttled a teenager with a fence post, then bragged on Facebook he'd do even worse George Kovacs told his 17-year-old victim "I'm going to kill you… come back again and I will slice you" George Kovacs (Image: North Wales Police ) A man attacked a teenager who he believed was "up to no good" near his property and broke his arm and wrist, a court has heard. George Kovacs set about the 17-year-old with a fence post and pole and threatened to kill him if he returned. Sending the 57-year-old father to prison a judge said he had read about issues involving people misbehaving and causing damage in the area where the defendant lived, but he told him: "What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property." Amy Edwards, prosecuting, told Caernarfon Crown Court that on December 17, 2022, two then-17-year-old friends were walking in the mountains in the Waunfawr area of Gwynedd when they noticed an abandoned outbuilding and "out of curiosity" walked towards it. The barrister said as they approached the building a vehicle drove past them before stopping and reversing back to them. The driver of the vehicle, Kovacs, got out and shouted "What the f*** are you boys doing here?" The court heard that one of the teenagers, Kian Williams, who is now an adult, apologised to the driver but Kovacs continued "ranting" and the teenager told him: "There's no need to be a d*** about it." The prosecutor said Kovacs then grabbed a fence post and began swinging it around and striking Mr Williams, with the teenager putting his arms up to protect himself. The force of the blows were such that the post snapped. The court heard the defendant continued shouting that the boys should leave the area before grabbing Mr Williams, pushing him up against a wall and throwing a number of punches, all of which missed their target. The prosecutor said the teenagers made for the footpath but Kovacs armed himself with a pole and followed them. The defendant struck Mr Williams a number of times to the legs and the back, though the blows to the back were cushioned by the rucksack he was wearing. Kovacs told the teenagers: "I'm going to kill you… come back again and I will slice you." For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter Article continues below The court heard that the teenagers made their way home and Mr Williams was subsequently taken to Bangor's Ysbyty Gwynedd by his father where doctors found he had a fractured arm and a fracture to bones in his wrist which required surgery. Meanwhile Kovacs put a post on a Facebook saying: "The lads who came from Liverpool or Manchester to my place, don't come back… next time they will have more then just a limp. Merry Christmas." He also said he had the registration of a vehicle they had been seen getting into. The court heard Kovacs was arrested and interviewed and admitted striking the teenager with a pole saying his actions were justified as he was protecting his property. In an impact statement written in May this year which was read to the court the victim said he still suffers with pain in his wrist and gets flashbacks to what happened in Waunfawr. He said he feels fearful when he goes out and constantly thinks of the defendant, adding: "This incident has taught me a lot of lessons about the man I want to be. I want to be the complete opposite of him." George Kovacs, of Ceunant, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, had previously pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has five previous convictions for eight offences including weapons offences but none for violence. Laura Knightly, for Kovacs, said the defendant lived in a "secluded area" with his wife and children and said he was a hard-working man. She, while in no way excusing his actions on the day in question, said there had been "concerns and fears in the area for some time" and that Kovacs' suspicions of the teenagers and his fears of what might happen "caused him to behave in this out-of-character way". The barrister added that her client thinks he may have blacked out during the incident. Article continues below Judge Timothy Petts said in December 2022 Kovacs saw two young men in the vicinity of a property near to where he lived and, believing they were "up to no good", he confronted them. He said he had read references written to the court detailing problems with people misbehaving and causing damage in the rea but he told the defendant: "What you did went far beyond anything you reasonably thought you could do to protect that property." With a 15% discount for his guilty plea Kovacs was sentenced to 33 months in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was also made the subject of a 10-year restraining order banning him from contacting his victim.
