Horror new details have emerged following the shock deaths of two children who froze to death in a van that ran out of petrol. Police detained a Detroit mum earlier this week following the deaths of a two and nine-year-old who were taken to hospital after suffering in desperate sub-zero temperatures. The mum and her five children had been living in the vehicle, which was parked outside the Hollywood Casino Hotel in Greektown, Detroit.
The car had run out of petrol as Detroit was hit with a bitter freeze that caused temperatures to descend to just 12F -(11C) and wind chills to 6C (-14C). Police chiefs have told how the children - who were two in a family of six - "froze to death" in the extreme cold after they were taken to hospital. Detroit Police Captain Nathan Duda told local FOX 2 news the minivan pulled into the garage at around 1am on Monday and ran out of petrol some time later. The mum later noticed that one of her children, the nine-year-old boy, was not breathing, and she called a friend to take him to the hospital.
After arriving at the Children's Hospital of Michigan, the children's grandmother noticed that a second child - the two-year-old girl - also wasn't breathing. The friend rushed back to collect the child from Greektown, and told hospital staff what had happened when she returned. Captain Duda explained that the two children were pronounced dead, with early indications suggesting the two had frozen to death. He said: “And so that person conveyed both children to Children’s Hospital, where they were pronounced deceased, with the early indicator being that they froze to death.".
The police chief added that he felt the death was needless and he wished "it hadn't have happened". He continued: "(I feel) sad, very sad. Especially as a father. I just can't imagine what the family is feeling. I wish it hadn't have happened...This was unnecessary. It didn't have to happen this way.". The family of six was registered at an address in Detroit's east side, but they are not believed to have lived in the property for some time. Police believe they had been living in the van for at least two months when the children were rushed to hospital. Three of the mum's other children, aged four, eight and 13, survived the freezing night.
