Mom and son die from carbon monoxide, 3 arrested after homeless man found dead, a cash windfall awaits Detroit
TUESDAY NEWS HIT - A father and husband is devastated. His wife and their 10-month-old son were found dead inside the parking garage at the Detroit Medical Center.
Police believe they died from carbon monoxide poisoning while waiting for a loved one who was undergoing a medical procedure.
"Like our first conversation - it was real natural and real familiar," said DeMarray Canty.
Working at the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office in the early days of the pandemic, DeMarray and Kellye had a whirlwind romance. They had a small wedding in April 2021, and soon after, a beautiful baby boy they named Kanan.
"I just remember trying to be the best husband, fiance, partner, whatever I could be, especially during the pregnancy and stuff, so," said Canty.
A happy little family - with so much to look forward to.
"It was perfect to be feeling of coming home to my family, it was kinda like magical," he said.
But on March 23rd, DeMarray’s world fell apart. The day started out routine. Kellye, along with the baby, took her mother to a doctor's appointment at Harper Hospital.
She parked in the parking structure and waited, but Kellye never came to get her mom after the appointment.
"I ended up calling her, she didn’t answer - so I called her sister back to see if she had talked to her," he said. "I asked did she have her location?"
The young father tracked down the car in the structure. Kellye and Kanan were inside with the doors locked.
"I just banged on the window calling her name - she wasn’t responding," he said.
Eventually with help from others — DeMarray was able to break a window.
"I got him out of the car seat and I held him and put him to my face," he said. "I always put his face to my face - but his face was cold," he said. "And I’m trying to wake him up."
Medics and doctors did everything they could, but it was too late - Kellye and Kanan were gone.
Investigators believe their deaths were accidental with carbon monoxide believed to be the cause.
"Eventually my mom had come in and she went in with her grandson and did what she usually do ... to try to wake him up, but he didn’t wake up," he said.
While DeMarray tries to figure how he will live without his family. Inside their Detroit home, there are constant reminders of their life together.
"All his toys, his sound machine comes on at 10 o'clock, I still turn on his baby monitor," he said.
Mother and son will be laid to rest on Friday. If you would like to help financially - GO HERE for their GoFundMe page.
Homeless man found dead in Pontiac, 3 arrested
Oakland County law enforcement are investigating the torture and murder of a homeless man in Pontiac whose body was first discovered Friday afternoon wrapped in a blanket and plastic bags. According to Sheriff Mike Bouchard, three people considered persons of interest are in custody for the murder.
Bouchard called the crime "absolutely despicable" and planned to seek the highest possible charges in the case. Deputies were originally called to the 100 block of S. Merrimac St. in Pontiac around 1:30 p.m. following a report of a deceased person lying in the grass. The caller had reported the individual was mostly covered except for a leg and an arm being exposed.
Police say the man, described as a white 51-year-old from Pontiac, was found nude near the shoreline of Terry Lake. During an investigation, police noticed fresh tire tracks where the body was found. Bouchard said the victim may have at different points had some money like a bank card and it's possible the suspects were after resources of that nature.
It's unclear if the man knew the people now in custody. Charges in the murder could come as early as Tuesday.
An economic windfall awaits Detroit for hosting NFL Draft
It was a good news day for Detroit and its football team after Monday brought announcements of both a feature on HBO's ‘Hard Knocks’ and that the city will be hosting the NFL draft in 2024. The event will give the city a chance to showcase some of its prettier amenities while giving it a much-needed economic shot in the arm.
"It brings us money, especially coming out of Covid - which decimated this city - and half the restaurants and small businesses that haven't come back or will never come back," said Grace Keros, who owns the American Coney Island. "Things are still not back to where they were around here." Detroit could see hundreds of thousands of people in the city for the three-day event, according to Lions President Rod Wood.
The expectation is that they’ll lodge at our hotels, splurge in our shops and fill up at our bars and restaurants. Godwin Ihentuge, who owns Yum village, is looking for the high-profile nature of the event to give his new restaurant some air time. And he would know - he opened another business in Cleveland during the NBA All-star weekend and sales shot through the roof.
Cleveland also hosted last year's NFL Draft, resulting in $42 million in economic impact. Before the era of Covid, masks, and lockdowns, the NFL Draft brought big bucks to host cities. The three-day event had $125 million impact on Dallas in 2018 and a $224 million impact on Nashville the following year.
Man pees on snack rack, moons gas station clerk after credit card declines
Video captured a man peeing on a snack rack after his credit card declined at a Detroit gas station Sunday night. After the card declined, the man got into a dispute with the clerk and started urinating on the rack as the clerk filmed him. His friend cheered him on and exposed himself.
While peeing, the man made eye contact with the clerk and asked, "We on Green Light?" referring to Project Greenlight, the program where police monitor cameras at Detroit businesses.
It is a Project Greenlight location, and police know who the man is. "If he thinks this is a joke, well we'll be seeing him pretty soon," said DPD Deputy Chief Eric Ewing.
After peeing all over the rack of snacks, the man took bags, including the soiled ones on the ground. On the way out, the man mooned the clerk before leaving. Detroit police are asking for the man to turn himself in.
Oakland Mall's new owner has big plans for property
A man with a plan says he knows what to do with the Oakland County Mall in Troy. This afternoon he laid out plans to re-purpose the two million-square-foot commercial property. Thanks to online shopping and next-day delivery, the American mall has been mostly reduced to a relic of the past.
"We feel like this is one of the sleepiest sites in Metro Detroit - and we are going to wake it up," said developer Mario Kiezi. Kiezi is a self-described young visionary, a real estate developer with lofty ideas for the piece of property just off 1-75 and 14 Mile in Troy. It's a place he's very familiar with, having grown up just five miles away from the mall.
"I used to roam here and I used to go to the arcade, I used to go to GameStop, I used to hang out," he said. His new concept will be above all, new. "We are not looking to copy anybody, we are going to be original with our own ideas," Kiezi said. Ideas that he says will fit into a clear vision. "Our focus is on families, our focus will be on communities, our focus is the people.," he said.
Oakland Mall first opened back in 1968, and to this day has a rate of 90 percent occupancy. We'll see if a fresh concept will boost those numbers even higher. All of this is happening fast. The developer just bought the property on Friday and says people can expect changes to begin this year.As for what it will be called, the developer says he's open to all ideas, you can find him on TikTock.
What else we're watching
- Wayne County's deadline for paying off back taxes on property is nearing. On March 31, owners will either need to pay off back taxes or setup a payment plan if they want to keep their parcel. Otherwise, the property title will be transferred to the treasurer.
- The Southfield police chief plans to discuss the recent arrest of a suspect following a homicide at Legacy Place apartments. An elderly woman was reportedly found shot to death and a 23-year-old was arrested.
- Michigan's Cannabis Cup hosted by the magazine High Times is nearing. On April 16, judging kits will go on sale statewide from 31 dispensaries. Some 10,000 have already expressed interest in being part of the competition.
- Motown Museum is holding a job fair Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at its Greektown retail store location.
- The latest Covid variant appearing in new cases is actually a subvariant of Omicron. Listed as B.A.2, its contagiousness is considered even higher than the original variant. A doctor with Henry Ford will discuss its danger later Tuesday.
Live on FOX 2
Daily Forecast
Get ready for a crazy couple of very Michigan weather days as temperatures kick off cool on Tuesday and remain pretty steady before a burst of snow and a Winter Weather Advisory moves in at night. Leftover ice will make driving slippery tonight and tomorrow before temperatures surge into the 60s Wednesday afternoon.
Woman breaks world record for most chicken nuggets eaten in 1 minute
A competitive eater in the U.K. has snatched a world record for most chicken nuggets eaten in one minute.
Leah Shutkever, who has already claimed several other Guinness World Record titles, recently broke the coveted nugget record as captured in an official Guinness World Records video shared last week.
Shutkever ate 352 grams (12.42 ounces), or the equivalent of 19 McDonald's Chicken McNuggets, in 60 seconds. The previous record was held by model and competitive eater Nela Zisser, who ate 298 grams (10.51 ounces) of chicken nuggets in November of 2020 in New Zealand, according to Guinness World Records.
Shutkever attempted to eat through a whole bowl of 20 nuggets while filming the Guinness World Records Italian TV show called "Lo Show Dei Record."
"Although she ‘only’ managed to eat 19, leaving the record holder disappointed about her performance, she still surpassed Nela’s previous result by 54 grams," the world record-keeping company said in a post about the new title.