Some 150 Mourners Remember Two Kids Who Died in Detroit Casino Garage on Cold Night

Posted on: February 21, 2025, 04:03h. 

Last updated on: March 6, 2025, 09:46h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

• A boy and girl were eulogized this week
• They passed away after being in a cold van at a casino garage

Friends, relatives, and well-wishers attended a farewell this week for the two children who passed away earlier this month in a van at the parking garage of Detroit’s Hollywood Casino at Greektown.

About 150 paid their respects at New McFall Brothers Funeral Home in Detroit on Wednesday and on Thursday at the Triumph Church in Detroit.

Boy Loved Football

One of the children was identified as Darnell Currie Jr., age 9, who attended third grade at the Ecorse Public School District. For fun, he often played NBA 2K and other video games.

He especially enjoyed playing football. Near his light blue casket was a football helmet and a framed jersey.

“A true athlete at heart, he had a deep love for football, playing for the Detroit Titans 9U team, where he ended the season with an impressive 8-3 win streak,” according to an obituary.

Girl Liked McDonald’s, Bluey Cartoon

The other child was A’millah Currie, age 2, who was known by the nickname “YaYa.” She enjoyed the cartoon, “Bluey,” which depicts the life of a dog.

A’millah particularly enjoyed having candy and a meal at McDonald’s. The boy and girl were close in life and often played together.

A’millah any times played hide-and-seek. Near her pink casket were stuffed animals. There was a poster of Bluey placed by the casket, too.

Many flowers were by the caskets, too. A banner read: “Rest Peacefully, Darnell Jr. and Amillah ‘Forever in our hearts.’”

Surviving members of the family remember how the two kids brought laughter, love, and joy to their relatives and friends. It was hard for those who had to bury two children so young.

We never assume that we’re going to bury our children. We assume that our children are going to live longer than us or they’re going to bury us,” the Rev. Solomon Kinloch, senior pastor of Triumph Church, told the mourners, the Detroit Free Press reported.

The two kids were believed to have frozen to death on February 10 after their family had no other place to sleep on a cold winter’s night besides the casino garage.

In addition to the two children, the family included a mother, two other children, their grandmother, and one of her children.

The 29-year-old mother had tried to find a shelter that would take them in, but she kept on getting told the shelters had no vacancies. She also reached out to the city’s hotline for homeless folks, but there was no followup.

The engine on the van stopped working during the night and the van got very cold.

The two kids stopped breathing. Both were taken to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan by a family friend. They were pronounced dead at the hospital.

Even the three surviving children in the van required hospital treatment.

Focus Should Be On Family

Detroit Deputy Mayor Melia Howard, who was at the funeral home, identified the children’s names for the media.

“The focus needs to be on the family, and prayers for the family, to uplift them and hold them close … because this is just a tragedy,” Howard told the Detroit Free Press.

“We are committed to continuing our service to this family,” Howard added.