Authorities say no evidence indicates 23-year-old, Mia Kanu, jumped from moving car
On Thursday, Southfield police, along with the family and friends of 23-year-old Mia Kanu, stood together at a news conference to update the public with facts and video footage surrounding the mysterious death of the Southfield woman — a story first reported by the Detroit Free Press that received national coverage.
Before the footage was released that shows Kanu falling from the vehicle as her friend, 23-year-old Kentia Fearn, continued driving at a high speed, Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren asked what type of person would do that and not stop to make sure that the person who fell from their vehicle is OK. Especially a person you call a friend, he said.
“What kind of friend is that?” Barren said. “I ask all of you that question: Who would do that?”
In the early morning hours of June 3, at 4:29 a.m., Kanu’s body was found lying in the middle of the roadway on Providence Drive in front of the Coach House Apartments in Southfield. Prior, Kanu had been a back-seat passenger inside of her friend's 2022 silver Jeep Compass, police said. Fearn, who owned and was driving the vehicle at the time, continued driving after Kanu fell from the car.
In the video, footage shows lights from a vehicle traveling Southbound on Providence Drive. As the vehicle nears the entrance of an apartment driveway, it slows down before accelerating past the gated entranceway. The vehicle proceeds past the gates and while it is passing, a blurred image appears. The blurriness is when Kanu fell out of the vehicle, police said. The driver of the car does not stop, but continues driving past the scene of the incident, the footage showed.
According to police, Fearn says that Kanu jumped from the car while she was driving. But, Chief Barren said: "There is no evidence that suggests Mia jumped from the vehicle.”
Barren said evidence suggests that when the door of the Jeep opened, Kanu was in the process of throwing up. During the investigation, police said they found vomit on the seal of door and in the roadway close to where Kanu was found. Police said they also found a key fob belonging to a Jeep and Kanu’s phone.
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According to police, Fearn came to the Southfield Police Department at 12:25 p.m. the day of the incident, accompanied by a friend and driving the same vehicle police were looking for. Police say Fearn told them the incident all stemmed from a physical altercation involving Fearn and her boyfriend. Fearn told police that she was physically assaulted by her boyfriend inside the Jeep, while Kanu was in the back seat asleep. Police said Fearn told them her boyfriend took her phone and drove away in his vehicle. She said she tried to follow her boyfriend to get her items back, but was unsuccessful. Police say Fearn admitted to taking Kanu’s phone during the incident to contact another friend and at some point Kanu woke up and took her phone back.
Shortly after that is when the tragic fall from the vehicle happened.
After the interview, police impounded the silver 2022 Jeep Compass for evidence and held it at the Southfield Police Department. Two search warrants were obtained for the vehicle and its U-connect infotainment system. The chief said officers did not find any other fingerprints in the back seat of the vehicle besides Kanu’s, or any blood.
Fearn was arraigned Wednesday in 46th District Court in Southfield for failure to stop at the scene of an accident resulting in death, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and/or up to a $5,000 fine; and operating while intoxicated, a misdemeanor punishable by up to 93 days in jail.
“The law requires anyone involved in an accident to stop and immediately report the accident to authorities,” Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said in a statement Wednesday. “Leaving the scene when someone is seriously injured or dies is a felony. My office will hold those who do so accountable.”
Autopsy and toxicology reports show that Kanu had a blood alcohol level of .21, but no other substances were found in her system, police said. Officials did not say whether Fearn was tested for alcohol in her system.
After the incident, Fearn told police she drove to a nearby apartment complex to pick up a friend. The two searched for Kanu in the area, but were unsuccessful in locating her. Police said, Fearn told them that she saw ambulance and police lights when she got to the area of the incident, but did not inform first responders that the victim could have been Kanu or what had happened to her.
"Evidence suggests she (Kentia) was more concerned about getting a phone back from her boyfriend," said Barren. "Rather than call 911 or to turn the vehicle around to tend to Mia's injuries if any, because, again, the car just kept driving."
Fearn then made her way to the Detroit Police Department’s 5th Precinct to report the alleged altercation involving her boyfriend. Southfield police obtained body cam footage that shows Fearn reporting the incident. Authorities say her speech was slurred and “the information was difficult to obtain.”
First responders took Kanu to nearby Ascension Providence Hospital where she was placed on life support before being pronounced dead. Her family donated her organs.
Family and friends of the victim at the news conference doted on Kanu.
“She was beautiful inside and out,” Kanu's mother, Bianca VanMeter, said. “She laughed about everything, even if you wanted her to do something that she didn't want to do, she would just say 'OK.' ”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Authorities say no evidence indicates 23-year-old, Mia Kanu, jumped from moving car
