A Macomb County family is demanding answers after 53-year-old Moneque Cook was found dead behind a building in freezing temperatures, with her daughters questioning the circumstances surrounding her death.

Watch Randy Wimbley's video report: Family has unanswered questions after woman found dead

Cook's body was discovered by a Priority Waste driver behind a building early Tuesday morning. According to her family, Cook had left her sister's Eastpointe home in the middle of the night Monday to visit a friend in Mt. Clemens.

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"No shoes, no coat, laying on her back. She would never lay down and die in the freezing cold; that is not my mother, that is not of her character," Cook's daughter Antonia Cook said.

Antonia Cook says the circumstances surrounding her mother's death don't add up. She noted that her mother's face was swollen and her lip was split when she was found.

"She didn't leave her sister's house like that," Antonia Cook said.

The family went to the scene after Cook was discovered and say some of her belongings were still there, including what they described as pants with blood and drag marks on the knees.

"They need to come get this evidence that my niece and them went up there and got what they left on the scene. My niece had to jump in the dumpster and got my sister's stuff," Cook's Uncle, Darryl Cook said.

The family also questions why Cook's friend hasn't contacted them.

"He hasn't shown his face, reached out to anybody, nothing," Antonia Cook said.

"I believe they were maybe having a drink or something, that's what they did, and something happened in between that time," she said.

The Macomb County Medical Examiner's Office says Cook's autopsy results are still pending, and a toxicology analysis is underway.

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Cook's death has raised concerns about the plight of the unhoused as temperatures drop to the coldest of the season. However, her family says she was not homeless but rather a woman who fell on hard times and would stay with different family members as they helped her get back on her feet.

"She was just-they put her off as a homeless woman, died behind a dumpster, and that is not Moneque's story," Antonia Cook said.

As the family waits for answers, they hold on to memories of Cook. They have also set up a GoFundMe page to help pay funeral costs.

"My mother is love, love. So sweet. So sweet she would give anybody anything," Antonia Cook said.

The Macomb County Sheriff's Office says this remains an active investigation. Cook's family says until they get answers, they're left waiting for the closure they desperately need.

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A Detroit family is demanding answers after 50-year-old Willie T. Smith III died in his cell at the Detroit Detention Center just three days after being arrested for allegedly stealing a bottle of wine from CVS.

Watch Randy Wimbley's video report: Family seeks answers after man dies in Detroit jail cell days after minor arrest

Smith was arrested Sunday on the minor offense but was found dead by guards Wednesday morning. His family says the timeline surrounding his death doesn't add up.

"I just don't see how a person who played sports, took good care of his health, ran marathons he served in the Navy and everything I can't believe how somebody like that goes to jail, and now he's dead," Merari Sosa Cordero said.

Sosa Cordero, Smith's fianc, says she struggles to reconcile what she knew about her partner with what jail officials told her about his death.

After being booked into jail Sunday, Smith was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital, where police say he was treated for hip pain and intoxication. He was medically cleared the same day and returned to the detention center.

What happened between his hospital discharge Sunday and his death remains unclear.

"For him to be complaining of hip pain and having to go to the hospital, something must have happened," Kimberly Massey said.

Massey, Smith's sister, says their family is still searching for answers.

"I just don't understand. I really don't want this to be swept under the rug," Massey said.

"It's like no closure. From seeing him happy, healthy, to now he's gone. I'm in shock," Massey said.

Police say there does not appear to be any foul play in Smith's death, but that offers little comfort to his family. They say Smith was supposed to appear before a judge the day he was found dead and never called or contacted them while in jail something they believe was unusual.

"He would've told somebody what was going on. If he wasn't feeling good, he would've reached out. We have an eight-year-old son together he would've reached out," Sosa Cordero said.

His loved ones are now left grieving and holding onto memories of a man they describe as their family's protector.

"He loved us so much. He loved his family so much," Sosa Cordero said.

"He was our family protector. He was my oldest brother. He was caring. He was funny," Massey said.

The Detroit Police Homicide Task Force is leading the investigation into Smith's death. The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office is working to determine an official cause of death, answers his family says they desperately need.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A woman jumped from an apartment window to escape an alleged assault in Howell Thursday morning, leaving her 2-year-old son behind with a man she claimed was armed and had assaulted her.

Watch Randy Wimbley's video report: Woman escapes alleged assault by jumping from Howell apartment window

The incident occurred around 11 a.m. at the Pine Hills Apartments on Holly Hills Drive near Isbell Street, prompting a massive police response that included evacuating an entire apartment building.

Neighbor Dave Fordyce called 911 on the woman's behalf after witnessing her escape.

"Come to find out she was claiming that she was raped and the guy had a gun, her two-year-old son was trapped inside the apartment," Fordyce said.

Cell phone video captured the shirtless, barefoot woman screaming after she reportedly jumped from the apartment window to flee her attacker.

Livingston County Sheriff deputies and Howell police officers swarmed the building as neighbors watched the dramatic scene unfold.

"There was like nine cops outside holding guns and shields, and there was a truck over there and two cars over here," one neighbor said.

"They evacuated the building, from what I was told, then they had drones flying through the building looking for him, and also they had a sniper, maybe on this roof, to make sure if he came out-they had all kinds of long guns out," LJ Jackson said.

First responders detected a strong odor of gas from the building, prompting the fire department to shut off the gas supply as a precaution during the evacuation.

Police successfully rescued the 2-year-old boy through an open window of the apartment unit. However, when officers obtained a search warrant and entered the apartment, they found it vacant.

"Come to find out, evidently, the gentleman that allegedly did all this stuff left before the police got here, so he's still out running around," Fordyce said.

The Howell Police Department said there is no threat to the public at this time, but the investigation remains ongoing. Due to the active nature of the case, police are not releasing additional information.

The department thanked displaced residents and the property management team for their cooperation during the incident.

Multiple agencies assisted in the response, including the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, Livingston County Prosecutor's Office, Hamburg Township Department of Public Safety, Green Oak Township Police Department, Michigan State Police, LAWNET, Livingston County EMS, and the Howell Area Fire Department.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.