How old was Mia Kanu? Michigan student dies after being found on road with head trauma

Mia Kanu, a 23-year-old Michigan college student was found lying on a road with significant head trauma on June 3, 2023, at about 4:30 am. Mia is a senior at Tennessee State University. She was found on Michigan’s Providence Drive in Southfield after attending a house party.

The police got hold of a surveillance video where Mia was seen being ejected from a car near Coach Apartments. It is speculated that she was either pushed out of or fell from the vehicle. Police are now investigating her death as a possible homicide.

Mia was taken to Southfield's Ascension Providence Hospital where she was pronounced dead two days later, on June 5. However, she was put back on life support till June 8 since she was an organ donor.

Police have not released the surveillance footage yet, and said that they are yet to find out how Mia ended up on the road and exactly how she died. Sgt. Jared Womble, a spokesperson for the Southfield Police Department, said that any time there is an unnatural death concerning a young person, it is treated as a homicide.

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Mia Kanu was a pet lover and an aspiring veterinarian

Sgt. Jared Womble from the Southfield Police Department said that there were no deformities or disfigurements on Mia Kanu's body.

“Nothing of that magnitude that at that point and time would imply any type of assault. As of now, we don’t have any evidence that would suggest another vehicle struck her,” he said.

According to police, Mia Kanu was in the vehicle with two other people, including the driver, who is cooperating with the authorities. Deputy Police Chief Jeff Jagielski said that they believe that there was an argument between the driver and one of the passengers in the parking lot of the apartment where the house party was held.

The Chief of Police did not discuss the autopsy results with the media but only mentioned that Mia suffered severe head trauma.

Bianca Vanmeter, Mia's mother, has been desperate for answers about her daughter's sudden and mysterious death.

“Something happened and somebody knows something, and we just want those answers. 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,” she said.

Bianca added that she wanted to know if there were any friends of Mia present at the scene and asked why nobody called 911.

The last time Bianca Vanmeter saw her daughter was the morning of June 2. She said that Mia had returned to Michigan for summer vacation. A female friend of hers later picked her up from the Green Lantern restaurant in Berkeley where Mia used to work. In the evening, Mia went to a house party with a group of friends.

Before arriving home in Michigan for the summer, Mia Kanu was a part of the Agriculture Department at TSU and worked at a farm caring for animals. Mia also worked at the Richland Animal Clinic in Tennessee as a veterinary tech.

Dawn Elza, the manager of the clinic, described the 23-year-old as very passionate about imparting knowledge on pet care to pet owners. Elza said that Mia knew all the names and personalities of the regular pet boarders.

"She had big goals and dreams of having her own business and being a veterinarian," the manager added.

Mia Kanu's mother also said that her daughter was devoted to animals and had also adopted a cat named Tails while at Tennessee State University.