Overview
- The Allegheny County Medical Examiner announced on Friday that 31-year-old Daphy Michel’s March 2 death was ruled a homicide and that the cause of death was hypothermia.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed Michel was issued an ankle monitor and released on Feb. 27 on Pittsburgh’s South Side after being transferred from Washington County Jail.
- Pittsburgh Regional Transit video shows Michel remaining at a bus shelter from Feb. 28 into March 2 and becoming unresponsive before a maintenance worker called for help and she was taken to a hospital.
- The medical examiner described Michel as a vulnerable adult with untreated severe mental-health issues and a significant language barrier at the time of her release, raising questions about whether her needs were considered in the release decision.
- Officials note a medical-examiner homicide ruling does not by itself assign criminal guilt, but the finding is likely to prompt administrative or criminal reviews of ICE procedures and adds to scrutiny of similar migrant-release cases.