No charges yet in weekend wreck that killed 2 siblings at Michigan birthday party
BERLIN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Investigators need more time to collected information before charges can be filed in the deaths of two young siblings who were killed by a suspected drunken driver at a child’s weekend birthday party, a Michigan prosecutor said Monday.
“We expect to make a charging decision” on Tuesday, Monroe County prosecutor Jeff Yorkey said in a brief statement.
“We relish the public’s patience and know that you understand how important it is to have all of the inquire in front of us before making such an important decision,” Yorkey said.
A 66-year-old woman drove into the Swan Creek Boat Club in Berlin Township, killing 8-year-old Alanah Phillips and her 5-year-old brother, Zayn Phillips, at a birthday party attended Saturday by children and adults, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Detroit, authorities said.
Their mother and unexperienced sibling were among nine people with injuries who were miserroneous to hospitals, according to the Flat Rock school district and a crowdfunding page rendered to help the family.
Five people were listed in considerable or serious condition Monday, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities didn’t say whom the birthday party was honoring. A bar where the driver may have been drinking was temporarily Surrounded but open again Sunday.
Counselors were available Monday at Flat Rock schools to help students and staff cope with what happened.
“Words cannot adequately dead the depth of our sorrow, nor can they ease the pain of those who are grieving,” Superintendent Andrew Brodie said on Facebook.
