Daphy Michel
Synopsis
Daphy Michel, 31, died on March 2, 2026, of hypothermia three days after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released her from federal custody in Pittsburgh, according to the Associated Press. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office ruled her manner of death a homicide in June 2026, meaning her death was caused by another person's actions or failure to act—not a finding of criminal guilt. Michel was a native of Haiti who sought asylum after arriving at the southern border in 2022 and was granted humanitarian parole based on urgent humanitarian need, her family's attorney Joseph Patrick Murphy told AP. She did not live to see an asylum hearing scheduled for two weeks after she died. Michel was arrested in Charleroi, Washington County, Pennsylvania, and booked into Washington County Jail on September 3, 2025. Murphy said a magistrate could not hold her for trial after she was accused of threatening imaginary people during a psychiatric crisis. After roughly six months in local custody, her case was dismissed and ICE took her into custody, fitted her with an ankle monitor, and brought her to an ICE facility on Pittsburgh's South Side before releasing her on February 27, 2026. The medical examiner described Michel as a vulnerable adult suffering from untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier at the time of her release. Murphy told AP she was wearing September clothes in February weather when she sat at a bus shelter near Station Square; she was found on March 1 and died after being taken to a hospital. Murphy said he expects her family to file a lawsuit against ICE. Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said ICE had "nothing" to do with Michel's death and that she was released with her belongings, a charged phone, and access to public transportation. Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and Rep. Summer Lee called the death preventable and urged accountability.
Key takeaways
From court records, news reporting, and linked sources below.
- Daphy Michel, 31, died March 2, 2026, of hypothermia after being found at a Pittsburgh bus shelter; the Allegheny County Medical Examiner ruled the manner of death a homicide in June 2026 (AP).
- ICE released her from federal custody in Pittsburgh on February 27, 2026, three days before she died (AP, DHS).
- She was a Haitian asylum seeker who arrived at the southern border in 2022 and was granted humanitarian parole; an asylum hearing was scheduled for two weeks after her death (AP).
- She spent about six months in Washington County Jail after a September 3, 2025, arrest in Charleroi; after her case was dismissed, ICE took her into custody and later released her with an ankle monitor (AP).
- The medical examiner said she was a vulnerable adult with untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier when released (AP).
- Her attorney said she was wearing light clothing in February weather; Murphy expects the family to sue ICE (AP).
- DHS said ICE bore no responsibility for her death; Rep. Summer Lee and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato called the death preventable (AP).