Monica Cannady and two of her sons were found frozen to death in an overgrown field (Picture: Family handout)
A mother and her two sons were found frozen to death in an overgrown field after her daughter managed to survive and knock on a door.
Monica Cannady, 35, and her sons Kyle Milton, 9, and Malik Milton, 3, were found dead close to the Lakeside housing projects in Pontiac, Michigan, on Sunday, said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
They died of hypothermia, according to an autopsy report.
‘Monica was a loving, caring mother to her children, always a hard worker making sure her children were well taken care of,’ states a GoFundMe page for their funeral expenses.
The three family members were found dead in a field in Pontiac, Michigan (Picture: WJBK)
Cannady’s 10-year-old daughter, Lilly, knocked on a door and said her family was in a field and dead, Bouchard said. Lilly was hospitalized with hypothermia.
The mother had an apartment but suffered from a mental health issue that prompted her to look for shelter outside, according to Bouchard. Cannady was under the impression that people including cops were out to get her.
Cannady ran away with her children after beginning to act strangely about three weeks ago, her family members said. They added that they tried to help her, but that she disappeared.
‘This tragedy was based in a mental health crisis,’ said Bouchard.
An autopsy determined that the three family members died of hypothermia (Picture: family handout)
Cannady and her kids were seen knocking on doors in the neighborhood on Saturday. The mother apparently told people they were hungry but refused to accept money and wandered away.
The sheriff’s office had received calls about a woman and kids without clothes but were not able to find them.
Cannady told her kids to hide if anyone approached them and then told them to lie on the ground and go to sleep, WXYZ reported.
‘The girl that survived woke up,’ Bouchard said. ‘No one else did.’
Authorities found the three family members frozen to death after the mother’s daughter knocked on a door (Picture: WJBK)
Cannady’s brother, Andre Harsten, searched for the family all weekend.
‘They was amazing, so smart, and it’s just so sad that they were so young, didn’t even get to experience life yet,’ he said. ‘And I wouldn’t blame her. I just want to know what happened.’
‘Monica did not have insurance for herself or her children,’ the GoFund me states.
The fundraiser had garnered more than $7,200 as of Tuesday evening.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
A mother and her two sons died of hypothermia while her daughter managed to wake up.
