The family of a Haitian immigrant who died in Pittsburgh after being released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement into freezing weather plans to sue in the upcoming weeks.
Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian immigrant, froze to death on March 1 after ICE left her in Pittsburgh, miles from her home in Charleroi, Washington County, wearing summer clothes.
The agency detained her in late February and released her in Pittsburgh with an ankle monitor.
Here's what we know.
Did Haitian immigrant's family sue following her death in Pittsburgh?
Michel's family had not filed a lawsuit as of Aug. 3. But attorney Joseph Murphy, who represents local members of Michel's family, said a lawsuit against the United States and other governmental and non-governmental entities would be filed within two two three weeks, according to The
Guardian.
As of Aug. 3, it wasn't clear who the plaintiffs or the defendants would be in the lawsuit.
Michel was born in Haiti and legally came to the United States, Murphy said. She "effectively" overstayed her authorized period in the country as she awaited a decision in her asylum case, he said, according to CBS News Pittsburgh.
She was arrested by police in September 2025 after a caller said she appeared to be having a mental health crisis in Charleroi, a borough south of Pittsburgh located in Washington County. During the incident, she was screaming in apparent response to imaginary voices and wielding a knife.
After six months in Washington County's jail, a judge dismissed the case in February, but Michel — who was scheduled for an immigration hearing several weeks later — was arrested again in late February, this time by ICE, which took her to its office in south Pittsburgh and placed an ankle monitor on her.
How did a Haitian immigrant die in Pittsburgh after being detained by ICE?
The Department of Homeland Security said ICE released Michel in Pittsburgh on Feb. 27, CBS News Pittsburgh reported. On March 1, she was discovered on the ground at a bus shelter near Station Square. She died after being taken to a hospital.
The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office ruled her death a homicide in June, with the cause of death listed as hypothermia, with homicide as the manner of death.
"The opinion of the forensic pathologist in this case is that Ms. Michel was a vulnerable adult, suffering from untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier when she was released from federal custody on February 27," a statement released by the medical examiner through the Allegheny County Police Department said on June 12.
On Feb. 27, the temperature fell from 55 degrees to 25 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. On March 1, the observed high was 38, while the observed low was 20 degrees.
In a lengthy statement posted to X on March 14, The Department of Homeland Security said ICE had "NOTHING" to do with Michel's death.
"She was released with all of her belongings, including a fully charged phone, in sunny weather in the middle of Pittsburgh, where public transport is readily available," the statement from DHS said in part.
Murphy said Michel's phone planned expired while she was in jail, The Guardian reported.
DHS added that ICE received a notification that Michel's ankle monitor had been tampered with on March 3. When they traveled to her last known location — the county medical office — local staff "refused to cooperate or even talk with ICE federal law enforcement" and that U.S. Marshals Services were given the ankle monitor without being notified of Michel's death.
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Family of Haitian immigrant who froze to death in Pittsburgh to sue
