Tateona Williams’ son Darnell Currie Jr., 9, and daughter A’millah Currie, 2, died after sleeping in a van at a Detroit casino parking garage earlier this month

Tateona Williams, momof A’millah Currie and Darnell Currie, Jr., gets emotional ahead of their funeral . Photo:Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News via AP

Darnell Currie Jr., 9, and A’millah Currie, 2, died earlier this month after they spent the night inside a van at a Detroit parking garage
A funeral was held for the two children at Triumph Church on Thursday, Feb. 20
“The tragic loss of Darnell and A’millah Currie has deeply shaken our city,” Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield said at the service

A funeral was held for two young children who died after sleeping in a cold van at a Detroit casino parking garage earlier this month.

Mourners gathered at Triumph Church to pay their respects to Darnell Currie Jr., 9, and A’millah Currie, 2, on Thursday, Feb. 20, according to the Detroit Free Press and the Associated Press.

Some attendees wore pink in honor of A’millah, while others donned football jerseys in honor of Darnell, who loved the sport, reported The Detroit News.

Tateona Williams, the mom of the two young children, was seen crying at the service, according to the outlet, which reported that the kids’ father, Darnell Currie Sr., also appeared to be emotional.

Speaking about the tragic case, which has drawn national attention, Williams, 29, previously told PEOPLE that due to the cold weather, she kept “the heat on” for her family, which also included her surviving children, ages 8 and 4, as well as her mom, Yvette Goodman, and Goodman’s son.

However, at some point, her car stopped running, which she “didn’t notice” until the morning of Feb. 10, when she went to get her kids ready for school and Darnell wouldn’t wake up.

Pastor Solomon Kinloch.Clarence Tabb Jr./Detroit News via AP

“She turned him over and saw that after checking him repeatedly and calling his name and asking him to wake up,” said Tamara Liberty Smith, who is the Detroit Board of Police Commissioner as well as the director of Detroit Power Detroit Community Outreach, a transitional housing service Williams was referred to following the death of her children.

Williams then “rushed him to the hospital” with the help of a family friend, while her mother stayed behind with the rest of the family. However, after realizing that Williams’ 2-year-old daughter wasn’t breathing, the friend returned to take them to the hospital, where both children were pronounced dead.

Although police have previously said that it appears the children died due to “exposure to hypothermia,” the Wayne County Medical Examiner said in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Feb. 20 that the final determination could take time.

“The Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office is working to bring clarity regarding the cause and manner of the tragic deaths to these children,” said chief examiner Dr. LokMan Sung. “Death investigations under these circumstances require aggregating and interpreting information gathered from autopsy, investigations, and laboratory analyses, which can take several months. We appreciate the urgency of understanding cause and manner and offering closure to this mother and our communities, and we’re working as quickly as possible to render a final report.”

Williams previously told PEOPLE that the casino parking garage was somewhere the family “normally” went at night because it felt “safe.”

At a press conference earlier this month, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said that, based on preliminary information, Williams’ family contacted the city’s “homeless response team” numerous times, but that “no resolution” had ever been reached.

Although Duggan said that as far as they could tell, the family did not call back after Nov. 25, Williams maintained that she kept calling and never got help. “It it took two [of] my kids to die … for them to want to help,” she said.

When asked for comment, a spokesperson for the city of Detroit previously told PEOPLE that “until we have all the facts, we really are not able to respond,” but that they would continue to investigate.

Since then, Deputy Mayor Melia Howard said that a local group had offered to pay rent for a year to house the family, according to The Detroit News.

“It’s just important for me to let them know that we’re not just here for today,” Howard said while speaking at the funeral home ahead of the service, according to the outlet. “We’re going to be with them as long as they need us.”

Those who spoke at the funeral shared messages of compassion, as well as the need for action to ensure no other families had to endure a similar tragedy.

“All of us ought to be compassionate. Nobody should be apathetic,” said Rev. Solomon Kinloch, Jr., the pastor of Triumph Church, according to The Detroit News.

“The tragic loss of Darnell and A’millah Currie has deeply shaken our city, and we grieve alongside you with this moment of unimaginable pain,” added Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield. “As we remember Darnell and A’millah, let us honor their lives by coming together as a city, advocating for those in need and ensuring that no family endures such a tragedy.”