OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – A 10-year-old has died after being injured in a violent Ferndale crash.
Police said the 10-year-old and an 11-year-old stole a car from Methodist Children’s Home Society in Redford on Nov. 17. They picked up a 16-year-old and hours later the vehicle crashed in Ferndale.
The 11-year-old and 16-year-old have recovered.
Read: 3 kids injured in Ferndale crash were missing from Methodist Children’s Home Society
A staffer at the children’s home reached out to Local 4 after the crash and shared concerns about the home not long after the crash.
“One of the employees left their vehicle running with the keys in the vehicle and the boys got in the vehicle and took the vehicle,” Johnson said. “We’re not supposed to leave our vehicles unattended while they’re running at any time.”
The home denies that claim and said the car was not left running and that it was locked at the time it was stolen.
Another employee reached out to Local 4 recently and said the staffers only discovered the 10-year-old died when he didn’t return to the home.
“People were shocked, sad, hurt and devastated,” the employee said.
Multiple employees have told Local 4 that the car was not secure and that the children had access. They said the home has not addressed the incident with them.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is investigating. The home and its PR firm have not released statements beyond the initial statement regarding the car and the staffing situation.
Ferndale police will turn over the results of its investigation to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office.