Haitian asylum seeker found unconscious at bus shelter pittsburgh Just days after being released from prison, he was placed into a federal immigration monitoring program, according to local authorities and family members. The death of Daphy Michel, 31, prompted question About what happened.
Here are five key things to know about the case.
1. She was found unresponsive at a bus shelter.
Michelle was reportedly discovered by a maintenance worker at a Pittsburgh bus shelter on March 2. Port Authority Police. official She was in critical condition and life-saving measures were attempted, including CPR, the use of an automated external defibrillator and anesthetics, before she was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in critical condition.
Doctors later told the family she had suffered a cardiac arrest. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet released an official cause of death.
2. The charges against her were recently dismissed
Michel spent nearly six months in the Washington County Jail on misdemeanor charges of harassment and threats.
Her preliminary hearing was postponed multiple times while she awaited a mental health evaluation, court records show. On February 26, a judge dismissed the charges, clearing the way for her release.
Her brother, Carlo Michel, told WTAE-TV that he saw her in court shortly before she was released. “In court, I saw my sister. I saw Duffy. There was nothing wrong with her,” he said through an interpreter.
3. ICE signed her up for an electronic monitoring program
Rather than being released directly, Michelle was processed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on February 27 and placed into the agency’s Alternative to Detention Program.
The program allows people with pending immigration cases to remain outside detention facilities while complying with supervision requirements, which include wearing electronic ankle monitors.
4. The timeline between her release and death remains unclear
Immigration attorney Joseph Murphy, who is assisting Michelle’s family, said the period between Michelle’s release and death remains confusing.
“It’s the middle part that confuses everyone,” Murphy said. “She was told the charges were dismissed and she would be released. Four days later, the family received a call saying she had died.”
ICE later reported that on March 3, her monitoring equipment received a tamper alert indicating that the straps had been removed, but by then her body had been transported to the medical examiner’s office.
5. Her asylum case is still pending
According to ICE, Michelle entered the United States through the legal port of entry in Brownsville, Texas, in December 2022 and was granted humanitarian parole.
She later applied for asylum and is scheduled for a hearing with the Executive Office for Immigration Review on April 16.
Her brother said she came to the United States hoping for safety and a better future. “She came here looking for life,” he said.
Authorities have not determined the exact cause of Michelle’s death, and questions remain about what happened in the days before she was found.
