Child served booze at Outback • Mom claims daughter was possessed before murder • Explosion problems linger

WEDNESDAY NEWS HIT - A dinner at Outback in Livonia led to a family taking their child to a hospital after alcohol was in his drink.

Mekyle Cureton, 12,said he always gets the virgin strawberry daiquiri, but the one he got this time was definitely not a mocktail.

"It didn't taste like how when I had it the other times," Cureton said. "It didn't taste normal."

The taste that was unfamiliar to the 12-year-old was rum. A few big gulps in, he started to get a funny feeling, he said.

"My head started hurting when I was leaving and my heart started beating as I was drinking it," Cureton said.

His grandma, Yolanda Collins also took a sip to see.

"We don't drink, so we couldn't tell whether there was alcohol in it or not," Collins said. "After that, he started letting us know that his heart was kind of racing."

They flagged down the server, who then relayed their concern to the bartender. The bartender confirmed that they had made a big mistake – they added alcohol to the slushy drink, Collins said.

Mother claims daughter was possessed after murder

A Wayne mother accused of abusing her daughter to death claims the 8-year-old was possessed. 

Chelsea Duperon, 30, allegedly caused injuries to Lyla Cassel's head and neck, killing her. She then allegedly did not call 911 until days later.

"The sheer brutality that innocent 8-year-old Lyla suffered on March 13 of 2024 is really like nothing I've ever seen in my five years of handling child abuse cases," said Wayne County Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Erin Wilmoth.

Police were called Saturday.

"The massive amount of swelling to her head and her face – she was completely unrecognizable," Wilmoth continued. "The cause of death: Massive, massive blunt force trauma to the head and face, which ultimately caused excessive brain swelling."

That brain swelling led to the child's death. Investigators said that if Duperon or her boyfriend called 911, Lyla might have lived.

"She could have been saved," Wilmoth said. "Lyla was just placed in a bed. Her mother went out to the store to get diapers because this child could not go to the bathroom –diapers, heating pads, Vasoline as well as some liquor for herself – while her daughter is lying in bed dying a slow death."

Clinton Township explosion problems linger 

It's been 14 days since a massive fire and explosion rocked Clinton Township and the rest of Macomb County. The fire and ensuing explosion at Select Distributors and Goo on March 4 sent shrapnel flying for miles and killed one person.

Now, two weeks later, it's still affecting people in the area, including local businesses.

Bob Hindman owns American Graphics Printing Company and says he's still dealing with the aftermath of the explosion.

"(I'm) frustrated. Frustrating to have to deal with 500 holes in your roof, water coming in, and penetration. Having to clean up what somebody else caused," Hindman said. "We’re trying to deal with it like nothing happened (and) put on our happy face. But it has been a little lull in our business, probably people thinking were still trying to dig out from underneath the rubble."

The rubble has been all collected and piled up are the remnants of thousands of butane and nitrous oxide canisters at the now-destroyed facility at 15 Mile and Groesbeck.

Uncle kills nephew at birthday party

An argument at a birthday party in Detroit led to a murder when an uncle pulled out a gun and shot his nephew, according to police.

Police said the suspect shot his nephew in the 9200 block of Bishop near I-94 on the east side around 7:30 p.m.  Tuesday. The shooter then fled.

Investigators tracked his truck to the 18000 block of Lesure near Outer Drive and declared a barricaded situation around 10 p.m. Police were able to talk to the suspect on the phone at one point, but his phone died during that conversation.

Police never ended up confronting the suspect where the barricaded situation was declared. He was instead caught when he showed up at a hospital with a gun.

Statewide tornado drill

Today, a statewide tornado drill will be held.

The voluntary statewide tornado drill will commence at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20. It is overseen by Michigan State Police and the Emergency management and Homeland Security Division.

TV and radio alerts as well as an outdoor siren will be noticeable during the test as the state continues keeping people on alert of what it sounds like when a tornado threat is imminent.

Last year, a string of tornadoes battered Michigan with seven touching down in just one day, destroying roads, barns, and creating havoc from Southeast Michigan to the state's west side.

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The first full day of spring sure doesn't feel like it.

What else we're watching

1. A dog in a Metro Detroit shelter for nearly 300 days needs a home. Laurel was found abandoned outside A ReJoyceful Animal Rescue in Clinton Township last year.
2. Incorrect inventory records, improper liquor licenses, and tens of thousands of bottles of alcohol reported as missing are among the deluge of problems found at the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, an audit found.
3. The family of a 9-month-old baby who was abused to death is blaming both the father and CPS for failing the child.
4. A pedestrian was hit and killed on Michigan Avenue near Merriman in Westland on Tuesday night.
5. One person is in custody and another is still on the run after a break-in early Sunday in New Haven. A resident heard the suspects in her basement before they fled in a stolen vehicle.

Lunar eclipse happening ahead of April's total solar eclipse

Back-to-back eclipses will be visible to a majority of the U.S. this spring – a faint lunar eclipse will be followed two weeks later by the grand finale of a total solar eclipse.

While the April 8 total solar eclipse will be visible across 14 states and parts of Mexico and Canada, a penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible across North and South America on March 25.

According to NASA astronomers, lunar eclipses always happen within a few weeks, either before or after a solar eclipse. From the night of March 24 into the early hours of March 25, a very faint or penumbral lunar eclipse will be visible across the U.S. as the Moon passes through the outer part of Earth's shadow.

A penumbral lunar eclipse causes a slight dimming of the Moon's brightness and if you don't know when to look, you might even miss it. If you look at the Moon early in the night and then again later around midnight on March 25, you'll see the difference in brightness. 

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