A mum and her two sons have been found dead in a field after walking the freezing streets for days.
Monica Latrice Cannady, 35, and her two children Malik Milton, 3, and Kyle Milton, 9 were discovered on January 15 at around 3pm after being out in Pontiac, Michigan, US, for nearly three days.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the deaths could have been prevented after it was revealed the mum was having a mental health crisis.
The children, who were undressed and out in the freezing temperatures, fell asleep in the field with their mum.
Cannady's 10-year-old daughter remarkably survived as she woke up and walked to a nearby home and knocked on a door pleading for help, according to authorities.
Pontiac Mayor Tim Greimel said at a news conference Monday, "This is a horrible, heart-wrenching tragedy."
Sheriff Michael Bouchard said the field had multiple patches of land where homes once stood along with abandoned vehicles.
He said the mum didn't seek shelter in the freezing cold temperatures.
The family lived in a flat and had been walking around their neighbourhood since Friday.
Cannady took the family to a lake so she could drink the water, according to police.
The cause of death of the family was hypothermia with the manner of the death listed as accidental.
However, Brouchard believes more could have been done to prevent the terrible tragedy.
He added: "I would put accidental/preventable."
According to authorities, the mum had been suffering a mental health crisis and was acting paranoid in recent days.
She believed her phone was being tracked with a microchip and therefore she did not trust authorities, according to her brother.
The sheriff said: “The woman, the mom, was having a mental health crisis. She believed someone was trying to kill her and everyone was in on it, including the police."
He added the children's dad was killed in 2021.
Cannady's brother, Andre Harsten, has demanded answers.
He told NBC: "I really want answers, because that’s not her. She took care of them babies. That was her main priority."
Harsten believes her sister's behaviour changed this month from normal to "odd."
She had purchased a new car and was feeling fine but recently rejected suggestions from their mum she should seek help, he said.
The sheriff said police had been contacted about people walking the streets without with winter clothes.
He believes there were many opportunities which could have saved her after her mum suggested she seek help.
According to the 10-year-old daughter, she told cops if anyone came towards them they were told to run.
Pontiac City Council member Melanie Rutherford said the news has stunned the local community.
She has pleaded with anyone suffering with mental health issues to seek help.
Melanie told NBC: "It is something that is normal. It is something that is treatable. It is something that is valid.
"And most importantly, you can get the right kinds of treatment and medication."
