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Haitian asylum seeker's hypothermia death in Pittsburgh ruled homicide after ICE custody release
🇸🇬 Singapore /Crime & Justice

Haitian asylum seeker's hypothermia death in Pittsburgh ruled homicide after ICE custody release

From CNA · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A Haitian asylum seeker, Daphy Michel, died of hypothermia after being released from federal custody in Pittsburgh and her death has been ruled a homicide.
  • Her family's attorney expects to sue Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over her death, citing her vulnerable state and lack of adequate care.
  • ICE disputes responsibility, stating Michel died three days after their encounter and that she had been provided with belongings and a phone.

The death of Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian asylum seeker, after her release from federal custody has been ruled a homicide by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office. Michel was found deceased at a Pittsburgh bus shelter on March 2, with the medical examiner citing hypothermia as the cause of death. The ruling indicates that her death resulted from the actions or inactions of another party, though it does not imply criminal guilt.

indicating the death was caused by the actions of another individual

— Allegheny County Medical Examiner's OfficeThe office released its findings on the cause and manner of Daphy Michel's death.

Michel, who arrived in the U.S. in 2022 seeking asylum, was granted humanitarian parole due to urgent needs. Her family's attorney, Joseph Patrick Murphy, stated that she suffered from severe, untreated mental health issues and a significant language barrier. She had been arrested the previous summer for psychiatric-related behavior and spent six months awaiting a hearing, during which she underwent multiple psychiatric evaluations. Murphy noted that a magistrate could not hold her for trial, after which ICE took her into custody, fitted her with an ankle monitor, and transported her to Pittsburgh.

suffering from untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier

— Allegheny County Medical Examiner's OfficeThe office described Michel's condition at the time of her release.

Murphy described Michel as wearing "September clothes" in February, leading to her succumbing to hypothermia. He plans to file a lawsuit against ICE, asserting that the agency is responsible for her demise. However, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Lauren Bis, strongly refuted this, stating ICE had "NOTHING to do with this woman's death." Bis characterized Michel as an "illegal alien" who was in removal proceedings and claimed she had all her belongings and a working phone upon release, with public transportation available. ICE also stated they learned her ankle monitor had been tampered with and that county officials refused to cooperate with their inquiries.

She was in September clothes, and it was February, and the weather overwhelmed her and she went into hypothermia

— Joseph Patrick MurphyMichel's family attorney described the conditions under which she was found after her release.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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