Oakland County Sheriff’s Deputy Resigns After Death of Pontiac Woman and Two Kids

A sheriff's deputy with the Oakland County Sheriff's Department has resigned, after an investigation into the deaths of a Pontiac woman and two children earlier this month.

Mother and Two Children Froze to Death

Monica Cannady and her two young boys were found in a wooded field in Pontiac on Sunday, January 15 of this year. Investigators believe the family had been outside in the cold for days. Mental illness is believed to be the root of Cannady's paranoia which led her to leave their home, evading neighbors, family, and authorities attempting to offer help.

The woman's 10-year-old daughter was the lone survivor, knocking on doors the next day to report that her mother and brothers had died in the field. The mother had instructed her children to lie down in the field and told them to run if they were approached.

Oakland County Sheriff's Deputy Resigns

A spokesperson for the Oakland County Sheriff's Department tells Detroit's WXYZ-TV that a deputy who had been in contact with the mother has resigned after a thorough investigation of the incident.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard provided a timeline detailing his officers' contact with the woman before her death. He says numerous attempts to assist Cannady were made on Friday, January 13, but she refused help multiple times.

The nature of the interaction between the former deputy and the woman prior to her death has not yet been revealed and the exact reason for the deputy's resignation is not clear at this time.