DETROIT – The mother of a little girl and boy who died living in a car parked at a casino in Detroit on Monday shared her side of what happened.
Tateona Williams, 29, said the family lived inside a van for three months. When she called the city for help, she was turned away.
Full interview: Mother of 2 kids who died in Detroit casino garage speaks out
“I called everybody,” said Williams. “I called out of state. I called different cities. I called Detroit. I got on Cam (Detroit). I been on a Cam for a long time. Nobody, every time I called, it says no shelter, no bed. I thought I was doing the right thing. I tried to keep them warm at night. That’s it. I was just trying to keep them warm. Nobody helped me. It took me to lose two of my kids to get this help. I don’t feel good about it.”
Early Monday morning, Williams parked inside the Hollywood Casino garage. Temperatures were in the teens, but she said her children had blankets and beds to stay warm.
At some point during the night, the van’s battery died.
On Monday afternoon, while trying to get the van jumped by a family member, she realized her 9-year-old son was not breathing.
Williams and a family member took the boy to the hospital, but it was too late.
While Williams was there, her 2-year-old daughter was found not breathing.
“My son died right before my face. He probably was already gone, but he died right there to me. And I didn’t even know that my 2-year-old was coming,” Williams said.
“I go see my other baby,” continued Williams. “She’s not breathing. They let me hold her to her last breath, the last breath she had. They said it was nothing they could do.”
There are questions about why the family did not get the help they needed.
Williams said she tried to call city resources.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said Williams had contacted the city in November, asking for a place to stay. However, there was no follow-up from the family or city staff.
Duggan said the bottom line is that this tragedy did not have to happen. He said he is calling for a review of the city’s homeless services.
Police said this case is still being investigated, and a cause of death is being determined for the children.
Resources
If you ever find yourself without shelter during cold temperatures, you can call the Detroit Housing Assistance Hotline at 866-313-2520.
If you need help after 6 p.m., Duggan said that the best option is for someone to go to their police precinct for help.
A list of warming centers available in Detroit can be found on the city’s website.
