Monica Cannady: Mother and 2 sons freeze to death, daughter knocks on door and says 'all are dead'
PONTIAC, MICHIGAN: In a tragic incident, a mother and her two sons were discovered frozen to death in Pontiac after suffering from a mental health crisis following the murder of her husband two years ago. Monica Cannady, 35, Kyle Milton, 9, and Malik Milton, 3, died of hypothermia after roaming in cold without any proper clothes on.
It was Cannady's 10-year-old daughter, Lily, who woke up after surprisingly surviving the cold, and knocked on a door to ask for help, and as per reports she said, "all are dead." Latest reports also confirm that the family had apparently been outside in cold for days ultimately leading to hypothermia and death, according to CBS News Detroit.
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"This is a mental health crisis. The woman, the mom, was having a mental health crisis. She believes someone was trying to kill her," said Mike Bouchard, the Oakland County Sheriff. According to investigators, their bodies were discovered on Sunday close to the former Lakeside Housing Projects in Crystal Lake.
Apparently, Cannady's mother had told deputies that she noticed a change in her daughter's behavior three weeks ago. Cannady had refused an offer for help and took off with the kids, as per the deputies. Investigators believe the family could have been out in the cold for at least three days as quoted by the station.
Moreover, the mental health crisis Cannady was seemingly suffering from started after her husband was murdered two years ago. "Over the course of a couple of days, we actually had been getting calls about a woman and kids not dressed appropriately for the conditions," said Sheriff Bouchard. "Deputies would go there, look all through the area, and couldn't find anybody."
The outlet reported that Cannady had asked a neighbor for help with food as she was hungry and he had no idea they had been sleeping near his house. "It's terrible," Charles Witherspoon the neighbor told the station. “We later learned from the surviving daughter that (the mother) had told her kids anytime anybody approached, to run,” Bouchard said as per clickondetroit.
Sheriff Bouchard, as per the report said this incident is just the most recent illustration of why mental health needs more funding. The community is being urged by him and the mayor to assist those dealing with mental illnesses.
"We're seeing death every day as a result of the mental health crisis and it sure would be nice if Washington and Lansing tuned in on that," Bouchard said.