A Michigan college student has died after she was found lying on the side of a road with head trauma after a party as footage reportedly showed her being ejected from a moving car. Mia Kanu, a senior at Tennessee State University, was reportedly found on Providence Drive in Southfield, Michigan, at around 4:30 am after attending a house party with friends on June 3.
It is unclear if there are any witnesses to the death of Kanu. Her family is also surprised that no one called 911 after finding their loved one lying on the street. Police have launched an investigation and are treating the death as a homicide, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Tragic and Mysterious Death
When Kanu was found lying by the side of the road, she already had "critical injuries" police told local media outlets. "Something happened, and somebody knows something, and we just want those answers," Bianca Vanmeter, Kanu's mother, told FOX 2 Detroit.
Kanu was seen on surveillance video being either pushed out of the car or falling out onto Providence Drive next to Coach Apartments, according to Fox 2 Detroit.
She was rushed to Ascension Providence Hospital in Southfield after a passerby found her and asked for assistance.
Kanu died at the hospital on June 5. However, since Kanu was an organ donor, she was kept alive for an additional three days on life support.
Police have not yet released the chilling surveillance footage, claiming they are unsure of how Kanu landed up on the road and how she died. The case is being investigated as a homicide.
"Anytime that there is an unnatural death, and especially concerning a young person, it is looked at as a homicide," Southfield police spokesman Sgt. Jared Womble told the outlet.
"There were no deformities. No disfigurement. Nothing of that magnitude that at that point and time would imply any type of assault," Womble told CBS News Detroit. "As of now, we don't have any evidence that would suggest another vehicle struck her."
Police Still Clueless
The cause of Kanu's death has not been determined, according to the authorities, who also stated that the driver of the car she was thrown from is assisting with the inquiry. "We are considering all possibilities including homicide," police said.
"The police department has not released any information alleging Mia was pushed from vehicle."
Southfield Deputy Police Chief Jeff Jagielski said the matter is still under investigation.
"It's our understanding that there was an argument between the driver and another individual in the parking lot of the apartment complex that they had left," he said.
However, Kanu's family is devastated and her mom, Bianca Vanmeter, is desperate for answers about her daughter's tragic and mysterious death.
"Something happened and somebody knows something, and we just want those answers," she told Fox 2. "If they could just tell the true story of what happened and why they didn't go back for her, why they didn't help her more. I would really want to know that."
"I want to know what really happened and if they were with friends, why wouldn't they call 911?" Vanmeter told WXYZ.
Kanu was a member of the TSU Agriculture Department and had previously worked on a farm tending to animals before returning home for the summer, according to the Free Press.
She also worked at the Tennessee-based Richland Animal Clinic as a veterinary technician. "Kanu was very passionate about educating pet owners about pet care," said clinic manager Dawn Elza told the outlet.
"She knew all the names and personalities of all the pet boarders that would board regularly with us, and she had big goals and dreams of having her own business and being a veterinarian," she said.
Vanmeter claimed that her daughter's first love was animals and that, while attending TSU, she had adopted a cat named Tails.
"I remember telling her when she got home from school, 'Girl, this cat is raunchy,' " the mom said, chuckling.
"She loved it there (at TSU)" Vanmeter said. "She was already counting the days for when she could go back to school."
In a touching video uploaded to Facebook, Vanmeter captured the 'honor walk' performed for Kanu inside a nearby hospital as staff members carried her into surgery to remove her organs for donation.
As Kanu was brought along the corridors toward the operation room, dozens of friends, family members, and medical personnel were lined up. Loud gospel music was playing in the background.
The college senior was lying on a hospital bed with a Hello Kitty blanket covering her, a Tennessee State banner, and a sign that said, "I am the storm."
The woman filming, purportedly Vanmeter, could be heard crying throughout the video before it ended with someone off-camera saying "bye, baby."
