Home / Crime and Justice / ICE Custody Death Ruled Homicide: Woman Froze to Death
ICE Custody Death Ruled Homicide: Woman Froze to Death
13 Jun
Summary
- A woman died of hypothermia after being released from ICE custody.
- Medical examiner ruled the death a homicide, citing actions or omissions.
- Immigration attorney claims ICE dumped a vulnerable woman to fend for herself.
The death of Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian woman, has been officially ruled a homicide by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office. Michel died on March 1, 2026, three days after her release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Pittsburgh. The medical examiner determined her cause of death to be hypothermia, classifying the manner of death as homicide, indicating culpability due to specific actions or omissions.
According to the medical examiner's statement, Michel was a vulnerable adult suffering from untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier when she was released on February 27, 2026. Her attorney, Joseph Patrick Murphy, who represents her family, asserts that ICE is responsible for her death. He stated that ICE released Michel, who had documented mental health challenges, into a bus shelter without adequate support, leading to her freezing to death.
Immigration officials, however, maintain that Michel was released with her belongings, including a phone, and that ample public transportation was available. Despite the weather being cold, with lows reaching 19 degrees Fahrenheit on the day she died, officials claim ICE had no role in her death. Michel had entered the U.S. legally and was awaiting a decision on her asylum case when she was arrested and later taken into ICE custody. Her brother plans to file a lawsuit.
