(NewsSpace.com) – One of a parent’s primary jobs is to keep their children safe. One mother who found herself in a precarious situation with her child gave the ultimate sacrifice: her life.
On Thursday, July 11, 29-year-old Alexa Stakely became a victim of a carjacking in Columbus, Ohio. She had just completed a waitressing shift and was picking up her 6-year-old son from the babysitter’s apartment.
According to the police report, she placed the boy, who was sleeping, in her Honda SUV and started the vehicle, however, she left something at the babysitter’s home and went back to retrieve it. During this time, someone got in the SUV and started driving away with it. Witness accounts say she ran toward the vehicle, screaming for her child. She was then struck by the car and thrown to the ground, which caused a fatal injury to her head.
Police arrived on the scene around 1:30 a.m. and found Stakely on the ground, suffering from traumatic injuries. She was transported to Mount Carmel East Hospital, where she died approximately seven hours later. Friends and colleagues remembered the woman as a devoted mother and a gifted teacher. In addition to waitressing, she was a speech-language therapist at a local elementary school.
Stakely’s vehicle was found a short distance away, where it was abandoned, with the young boy still inside. Fortunately, he was still sleeping and was unharmed, spared from the trauma of the event. He is now in the care of relatives.
Police are now looking for two male suspects in the carjacking. They were seen running away from the car, past Stakely, and jumping a fence, where they disappeared into another apartment complex.
Detectives are asking anyone with information to call Detective Lemmon, the lead detective on the case, at (614) 645-2558, or to call Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-8477.
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