Family of woman, children who froze to death in Pontiac files lawsuit: 'They ignored a mother'
Family of Pontiac woman, children who froze to death in 2023 file lawsuits
Monica Cannady and two of her children, 9-year-old Kyle Milton, and 3-year-old Malik Milton, were found dead in a field in Pontiac in January 2023. One of her children, a 10-year-old girl. According to the family and their legal representation, Cannady, who was Black, was ignored and mocked by authorities. They believe her race played a role in how she was treated.
PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - The family of a Pontiac mother and two children who froze to death two years ago is suing Oakland County Sheriff's deputies who they say failed to properly help her despite knowing she was in the midst of a mental health crisis.
Monica Cannady and two of her children, 9-year-old Kyle Milton, and 3-year-old Malik Milton, were found dead in a field in Pontiac in January 2023. One of her children, a 10-year-old girl.
According to the family and their legal representation, Cannady, who was Black, was ignored and mocked by authorities. They believe her race played a role in how she was treated.
Mother, 2 sons found dead in overgrown field in Pontiac; 10-year-old girl hospitalized with hypothermia
A mother and her two sons died from hypothermia after seeking refuge in a Pontiac field during a mental health crisis.
Timeline:
Cannady had instructed her children to sleep outside in the area of Franklin and Rapid because she ws paranoid the police were going to kill them. The surviving child awoke on Jan. 15, 2023, to find her mother and siblings dead.
After the deaths, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard released a timeline of what happened:
According to the timeline, there were no calls made to the sheriff's office about the family on Jan. 14, 2023 or Jan. 15, 2023, but deputies had been in contact with Cannady and tried to offer her help.
The first encounter was on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, at 1 p.m. when the sheriff's office received a call about Cannady and her three children had stopped on Mill Street in Pontiac as they sought help. Deputies launched a drone to search for the family and, within 10 minutes of getting the call, a deputy found her and her three children.
The deputy asked if she needed help and where she was going, but Cannady rebuffed repeated offers of help, saying she was okay while walking away. Five minutes later, another deputy found her inside McLaren Oakland Hospital in downtown Pontiac.
The deputy questioned her multiple times if the family was okay, and she reiterated that she was. The deputy offered aid and Cannady said she was fine and was at the hospital for a medical visit for her son.
After the conversation, Cannady and her family left the hospital while the deputy followed them down Woodward Ave, trying to convince her to get in the patrol care and to get out of the dangerously cold weather.
The woman was wearing a coat, but her children were only in sweatshirts and wrapped in bedsheets, yet she continued to refuse help.
The deputy offered to get coats for the children, but again, she denied the assistance and said she was walking to see family nearby. At the time, the deputy said Cannady was lucid and did not appear to be suffering from crisis.
Two hours later, Cannady's family said her and her family arrived at her mother's apartment and the children went down for a nap. Half an hour later, she got into an argument with her mom about her mental state and she took her children and left. The family later told detectives that Cannady had been having mental health problems for the past three weeks.
Around 4:30 Jan. 13, 2023, Cannady's aunt talked with deputies for advice on how to get the woman help. Authorities went to her apartment, but it appeared to be empty.
Investigators learned that Cannady believed someone was trying to kill her and that police were involved. She instructed her children to run if they saw the police.
Around the same time that they were talking with Cannady's aunt, a 911 call came in about a woman and three children not properly dressed for the cold.
A deputy went to the area of Franklin and Rapid, where the caller had said they were spotted. Bouchard noted that the deputy didn't properly search the area. That response was investigated by the sheriff's office, and the deputy involved resigned.
Deputy resigns after investigation for improper search of Pontiac mom, 2 sons who froze to death
According to the Sheriff's office, the investigation was competed and the deputy who was at the focus of the investigation resigned on January 22.
Deputies searched the area multiple times that night but did not find the family.
On Jan. 14, no calls were made about the family, Bouchard said in 2023.
After their bodies were found, the sheriff ultimately learned that Cannady had knocked on a door on Branch Street around 4 p.m. on Jan. 14, 2023. The person answered but Cannady then said she was at the wrong house before leaving.
The next day, around 3 p.m. on Sunday, Cannady's daughter went to a different home and said that her family had died in the nearby field.
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What they're saying:
"The Oakland County Sheriff's Office made no further efforts to locate them," attorney Megan Bonanni said during a press conference announcing the lawsuit on Monday.
The suit names deputies Alex Kazal, John Brish, and Devon Bernritter, along with the county.
Bonanni said her office has obtained documents, video, and photos that support the claims that deputies failed to properly address the danger the children were in when they encountered Cannady.
Diamond Cannady, a representative for the family, joined Bonanni for the press conference. She is one of the family members who has been helping raise the girl who survived.
"Even through her grief, she is still bright and friendly," she said, adding that, "Even through her grief, she is still bright and friendly."
She went on to criticize the authorities who interacted with Monica Cannady.
"They ignored a mother who was experiencing a mental crisis and her terrified children," Diamond Cannady said. "No one with this disregard for human life should be trusted to protect any community."
Diamond Cannady said the family is suing to both make sure the surviving child has the support she needs, including therapy and education, and to hold the deputies accountable.
The other side:
When asked about the lawsuit, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office sent a more in-depth version of the timeline that Bouchard previously provided, along with a statement denying that the actions of deputies caused the deaths.
Full statement from OCSO public information officer Stephen Huber:
"OCSO vehemently denies that any actions of OCSO personnel caused the tragic deaths of Ms. Cannady and her two young sons. As the attached timeline sets forth, numerous efforts were made by OCSO personnel to help Ms. Cannady and her children. However, she refused all such efforts made by OCSO deputies to help. Importantly, at no time did any OCSO deputy have a legal basis to detain the family.
"After reviewing bodycam footage of OCSO personnel during that timeline, numerous statements were made by one former OCSO deputy sheriff that were not in keeping with OCSO standards of conduct for its deputies. An internal affairs investigation was initiated, and the deputy resigned before a disciplinary review could be completed.
"No further statement will be made by OCSO regarding this matter due to threatened litigation by Ms. Cannady’s family."
The Source: FOX 2 reviewed a copy of the lawsuit and attended a virtual press conference for this story. Previous stories were used to provide background on the case.