The family of Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian asylum seeker who died of hypothermia in Pittsburgh in March, is preparing to file a lawsuit against the United States and multiple other governmental and non-governmental entities, according to attorney Joseph Murphy, who represents the family. The lawsuit, expected within two to three weeks, follows the Allegheny County medical examiner's ruling in June that her death was a homicide.
What happened to Daphy Michel?
Michel was released from ICE custody on 27 February after being held in the Washington County jail for six months following a reported mental health crisis. She was dropped off in Pittsburgh's south side wearing summer clothes, with temperatures at 20F (-6.6C), and left to find her way home to Charleroi, about 20 miles away. Surveillance footage shows her at a bus shelter for approximately 24 hours before authorities found her unresponsive on 2 March. She was pronounced dead at a Pittsburgh hospital.
The medical examiner's office stated that Michel was a vulnerable adult 'suffering from untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier' at the time of her release. Her death was ruled a homicide, though the office clarified this does not imply criminal guilt but that 'actions caused by another individual' led to her death. Pittsburgh detectives are investigating.
Legal action and accountability
Attorney Murphy criticized the decision to release Michel, saying, 'Anybody who knew Daphy for more than one minute knew there was something wrong with her. It was a real dumb thing to just release her like that in February in Pittsburgh, where it's very cold, knowing how screwed up she was.' He noted that Michel's phone plan had expired while she was in jail, contradicting DHS claims that her phone was fully charged.
The Department of Homeland Security, ICE's parent agency, has not responded to questions about the lawsuit or Michel's death. In March, DHS posted on X that it had 'nothing to do with this woman's death' and referred to Michel as an illegal alien, though Murphy says she entered legally, was granted humanitarian status, and had an asylum application pending.
Broader pattern of concern
Michel's case echoes the death of a 56-year-old Rohingya refugee in Buffalo, New York, a week earlier, who was also dropped off alone and later found dead; that death was also ruled a homicide. These incidents raise questions about ICE's handling of vulnerable individuals in custody.
The lawsuit aims to hold accountable those responsible for Michel's death, which her family describes as preventable. Murphy stated, 'It was a very bad judgment call,' emphasizing the need for systemic change in how immigration authorities treat detainees with mental health issues.
