The family of Monica Cannady and her two children, who were found deceased in a Pontiac field in January 2023, has filed a lawsuit against the Oakland County Sheriff's Office and three deputies. According to The Detroit News, great-aunt Cherry Cannady is leading the federal lawsuit. The lawsuit states, "This case has been brought to shine a light on the pure and unadulterated deliberate indifference and bias of the Defendant OCSO Deputies," alleging that the deputies' actions contributed to the outcome of the incident.
In a statement obtained by CBS News Detroit, Oakland County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Stephen Huber said the department "vehemently denies that any actions of OCSO personnel caused the tragic deaths of Ms. Cannady and her two young sons." The county states that efforts were made to assist the family and that "at no time did any OCSO deputy have a legal basis to detain the family." The lawsuit claims Cannady’s condition should have prompted further action, such as notifying Child Protective Services or involving a social worker, but those steps were not taken.
The lawsuit outlines specific incidents involving the deputies. It states that Deputy Devon Bernritter conducted a wellness check on Cannady at McLaren Oakland Hospital. It also references body camera footage capturing Deputy Alex Kazal making remarks about preferring to do "real police work" rather than searching for the family. According to the lawsuit, Kazal expressed the view that locating the family would only result in the children being placed in "bulls--- foster care and get raped," as stated by The Detroit News.
A lawsuit accuses Deputy John Brish and others of failing to properly search for the Cannady family after a Good Samaritan’s tip, stating that Brish "that he made sure to flash his flashlight around to make it seem as if he was searching for the family," as mentioned by CBS News Detroit. An internal investigation found one deputy’s actions did not meet department standards, and that deputy resigned before a disciplinary review was completed. Filed by the Cannady family’s great-aunt, the lawsuit claims authorities failed to protect individuals experiencing mental health crises. The Oakland County Sheriff's Department denies any wrongdoing, as reported by WXYZ.
