Mother, 2 Kids, Freeze To Death In Oakland County Field: Sheriff

PONTIAC, MI — A mother and her two young sons were found dead from hypothermia Sunday morning in a Pontiac field, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said.

Officials found 35-year-old Monica Latrice Cannady and her two sons, Kyle Milton, 9, and Malik Milton, 3, in a field on Branch Street, near Orchard Lake Road and Bagley in Pontiac, not far from Crystal Lake.

The bodies were discovered after Cannady's 10-year-old daughter walked to a neighbor's home on Branch Street and told them her family was dead in the field, officials said.

Cannady, from Pontiac, was suffering from a mental illness and believed that someone was trying to kill her and her family, officials said. She believed everyone, including her family and police were involved in the conspiracy and told her children to never trust police officers, officials said.

Family members tried to get Cannady mental health treatment, but she refused and ran away with her children, officials said.

Cannady and her children were out of doors since at least Friday and were wandering the neighborhood without their winter jackets or proper winter clothing, officials said.

Police said they had received calls about a woman and several young children wandering the in area.

At some point between Saturday night and Sunday morning, officials believe Cannady and her three children laid down in the field and went to sleep, officials said. The field was once the location of the Lakeside Housing Project.

The next morning, Cannady's 10-year-old daughter woke and up and went to the neighbor's home after her mother and two brothers did not wake up, officials said.

The daughter was taken to a nearby hospital and listed in stable condition, officials said.

"This is a horrific tragedy that could be prevented by a society wide-community approach to
mental health challenges," Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "We all have to communicate more, support each other more and ensure that people don’t fall through the cracks."

A GoFundMe campaign was launched Monday seeking to raise $50,000 for Cannady's daughter.

If you or anyone you know is having a mental health crisis or lacks food, housing, or other needs, you are encouraged to call the Common Ground 24-hour Crisis Hotline at 1-800-231-1127.

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