The death of a Haitian woman released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Pittsburgh in February has been ruled a homicide, according to the medical examiner.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death of 31-year-old Daphy Michel a homicide on Friday. She died three days after she was released from federal custody. 

ICE released Michel in Pittsburgh on Feb. 27, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to KDKA-TV on Friday. She was found on March 1 on the ground at a bus shelter near Station Square. She died after being taken to a hospital. 

“The opinion of the forensic pathologist in this case is that Ms. Michel was a vulnerable adult, suffering from untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier when she was released from federal custody on February 27,” a statement released by the medical examiner through the Allegheny County Police Department said on Friday.

The medical examiner’s office ruled Michel’s cause of death as hypothermia, with homicide as the manner of death.

“The ruling by the medical examiner, that is a homicide, means that the death was caused by the action or omission of someone,” Pittsburgh-based immigration attorney Joseph Patrick Murphy told KDKA-TV on Friday. “That means there’s some sort of culpability.”

Murphy, who represents Michel’s family, blames ICE.

“She had mental challenges,” Murphy said. “She was arrested for at one point screaming at imaginary people, and they knew this. They just dumped her in a bus shelter — language barrier, educational barrier, and psychiatric barrier — and left her to fend for herself. The bus shelter, she never figured out how to leave. She sat there for days, and ultimately froze to death.”

Michel was born in Haiti and came into the United States legally, Murphy said. She “effectively’ overstayed her authorized period in the United States as she waited for her asylum case to be decided, Murphy added.

She was arrested in Charleroi, Washington County, Murphy said. She was booked in the Washington County Jail on Sept. 3, 2025, and remained in jail for six months before her case was dismissed. That’s when DHS said ICE took her into custody because it said she was in the country illegally.

She was taken to ICE’s facility on Pittsburgh’s South Side so she could be given an ankle monitor before her release. In a statement to KDKA-TV, DHS Acting Secretary Lauren Bis said, in part, that ICE had “nothing” to do with the woman’s death, adding that she was released from ICE custody after being issued an ankle monitor.

“She was released with all of her belongings, including a fully charged phone, in sunny weather in the middle of Pittsburgh, where public transport is readily available,” Bis’ statement said. “All illegal aliens who are processed have access to phones to call family, friends, and attorneys.”

On the day Michel was released, records show Pittsburgh’s official high was 55 degrees, with a low of 25 degrees. On the day she died, records show the high was 36 degrees, with a low of 19 degrees.

“They could have put her in an ICE car and driven right back down to Washington County and dropped her off, and they don’t need to do that with every detainee,” Murphy said. “But it was known to them that she was screaming at imaginary people and then sent for six months doing multiple psychiatric examinations.”

He called what happened to her “reckless.” From his office high up in a Pittsburgh office tower, he can see the street corner next to where Michel was found. 

“It makes it more painful for me, because it’s a reminder right there of what happened to my friend,” he said, explaining it’s how he refers to people within the community he serves. 

Murphy said Michel’s brother plans to hire him to file a lawsuit.

Both Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato and Rep. Summer Lee put out statements Friday saying Michel’s death was avoidable. They called for accountability, with Lee saying ICE must answer for the woman’s death.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates continue shuffling around parts of their bullpen, as they search for the right collection of players moving forward.

The Pirates are optioning right-handed relief pitcher Brandan Bidois to Triple-A Indianapolis, as they are recalling right-handed pitcher Antwone Kelly ahead of their series opener vs. the Miami Marlins at PNC Park on June 12, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Bidois had spent the past month with the Pirates, becoming the first Australian player to feature for the franchise, and was an integral part of their bullpen.

The Pirates now hope that Bidois finds his best stuff back in the minors and eventually convinces them he deserves a major league roster spot in the future.

What the Pirates Bullpen Looks Like Now

The Pirates have five right-handed pitchers in Wilber Dotel, Kelly, Carmen Mlodzinski, Yohan Ramírez and Dennis Santana, plus three left-handed pitchers in Mason Montgomery, Evan Sisk and Gregory Soto.

Dotel and Mlodzinski have worked in bulk roles since moving to the bullpen and Kelly will likely do the same, providing length and rest for the starting rotation.

All three pitchers have been starters, with Dotel and Kelly doing so for the majority of their time in the minor leagues and Mlodzinski spending the first two months in the rotation before Jared Jones came back off the 60-day injured list.

Expect all three pitchers to follow a starting pitcher in a game, like Mlodzinski coming in for the last two Jones’ starts.

Ramírez is another middle reliever option, while Santana and the three southpaws work in high-leverage situations.

Bidois’ Tenure with the Pirates

The Pirates recalled Bidois on May 12 and optioned right-handed relief pitcher Cam Sanders to Triple-A.

He earned a spot on the 40-man roster, with the Pirates protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft, after a strong season in the minor leagues, where he had a streak of setting down 64 consecutive batters from July 29 to Sept. 14.

Bidois was on the taxi squad prior and eventually made his MLB debut on May 13, where he gave up a solo home run in an inning of work in the 10-4 loss to the Colorado Rockies at PNC Park.

He posted a 4.05 ERA over 12 outings and 13.1 innings pitched for the Pirates, with a 16 strikeouts to 11 walks, a .224 batting average allowed (BAA) and a 1.65 WHIP.

Bidois pitched twice vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers at PNC Park, the most recent series for the Pirates.

He gave up four runs over 0.2 innings , with two hits and three walks, as he and Dotel gave up 10 runs in the seventh inning of a 12-3 loss in the series opener on June 9, then allowed a run in the eighth inning of the 8-6 loss in the series finale on June 11.

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East Carson Street on Pittsburgh’s South Side will be closed off to cars, people under 21 years old and anyone who has previously committed a crime in the space as part of a new plan aimed at replacing what can be a chaotic late weekend evening in the bar-filled corridor with what’s being dubbed the South Side Street Fest.

The street fest will fill East Carson Street on Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. between 12th and 18th streets. During that time, people entering must pass through metal detectors and IDs will be scanned to verify that individuals are at least 21 and that they aren’t on a list of people not allowed to enter. 

“Pittsburghers love the South Side,” said Peter Margittai, president of the Southside Chamber of Commerce. “And they want to come back. They’re just scared, and this is giving them a great reason to come back. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be safe.”

The plan was revealed at a community meeting on Thursday involving Pittsburgh Public Safety, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, the South Side Community Action Network, and the Chamber of Commerce. 

The Southside Hospitality Partnership is the official sponsor of the festival, which is scheduled to begin on June 20 and will run on Fridays and Saturday nights until Sept. 12.

Compared to the restrictions placed on Market Square, which banned children from entering that space, this plan is being done in closer conjunction with city police, a public safety spokesperson said. 

“We want to change the behavior down here,” Zone 3 Police Commander Jeff Abraham said. “In 2026, we’ve seized 62 firearms, illegal firearms down here, and we’re just trying to get those type of bad actors to stop coming to East Carson Street.” 

Road closures will start at 9 p.m. At that time, people inside the footprint will either be given wristbands or be asked to re-enter at the security entry points. Residents will be able to park their cars on side streets, but if they are on East Carson Street, they’ll have to go. 

“It’s a really exciting plan for the South Side,” said John DeMauro, a member of the South Side Hospitality Partnership and owner of South Side businesses. “This plan really provides structure and expectation for people coming to East Carson Street, but it’s also going to provide things to do.”

They’ve already had discussions, he said, about activating storefronts outside during the festival. 

“So, for instance, at my storefront, I’ll be selling food outside,” DeMauro said. “We want to implement some music on the street, we want to implement some art on the street.”

As for open-container rules, people won’t be allowed to bring their beers outside of bars onto the street. They will be allowed to purchase beers from designated tents in the street. Those beers will be priced at a “premium,” one of the speakers during the informational meeting on Thursday said. 

“You’re going to be safe when you come to East Carson Street, you’re going to be able to enjoy yourself, you’re going to be able to have fun, like many people have for the past 30 years,” DeMauro said. 

Rosemarie Berman of the Southside Community Action Network was tasked with taking the questions of those in attendance and posing them to officials. 

“People are concerned about what if I live on Carson Street. How do I get to my place? How are we going to handle people on the side streets? And I think they addressed all those concerns pretty much this evening,” Berman said. 

Asked if people thought the plan would work, she said that people are optimistic. She added that people expect bumps in the road early, but in the end, it will evolve into something “wonderful.”

“I don’t think it’s perfect, but I don’t think anyone really does. But it’s a really good plan,” said Margittai.