I came across two deaths, one for a mother and the other for her married, 43 year old son, that occurred a day apart, just before the 1943 riot on Belle Isle and I was wondering if there may be a connection to the deaths and the riot.

From what I read at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Race_Riot_%281943%29 , the riot started on June 20, 1943 and ended on June 23, 1943.

The deaths that I'm questioning are for Eva VASSALLO, she died June 17, 1943 and her son, John CIRESI, he died on June 18, 1943. The dates of death were gleaned from the Mt Elliot Cemetery Assoc Burial website; http://www.mtelliott.com/genealogy . I realize that it's possible that the dates could be wrong but so far I haven't come across any additional supporting sources.

I know from my Grandma, that as a result of this riot and the Sojourner Truth Housing Project that went up roughly a block or so from my grandparent's newly-built house, my grandparents decided to sell their new home and move out of state. I'm wondering if these deaths were riot related and that maybe that was the final push for my grandparents move. My grandmother always said that they moved because of the riot but these deaths were never mentioned. The son was the husband of my grandfather's cousin, so just maybe?

If someone knows of a list of injured or deaths or could suggest some additional sources that I could read more about the riot, I'd appreciate that so much. I'm not afraid of doing my own searching so any suggestion would be most welcomed.

Thanks!