An Ohio mother dies after defending herself and her 6-year-old son from an attempted car theft.
The mother, a 29-year-old speech therapist named Alexa Stakely, died fatally in an apartment complex in Columbus, Ohio. When the single mother saw her vehicle with an unknown man inside attempting to steal it, Stakely launched herself immediately to halt the theft.
Rescuers and police authorities immediately responded to the reported incident to quickly rescue the mother and child. However, Stakely succumbed to the complications of her injuries and later died.
Ohio Mother Dies From a Fatal Carjacking
According to police, the 29-year-old mother arrived at an apartment complex on Blue Knoll Drive at White Oak Park Condominiums at 1:30 a.m. on Thursday to retrieve her son from a babysitter.
Police stated that she carried the sleeping boy to her Honda-CRV, which she had left running, as she met the babysitter at the entrance to collect the boy's belongings.
Upon Stakely's return to her car, she noticed someone inside starting to reverse onto the road. Stakely rushed towards the Honda, shouting for her child and urging the driver to halt.
Upon returning outside, Stakely noticed someone driving her car in reverse onto the road, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch. She chased the driver and shouted for her child, demanding the driver to halt.
According to reports, she climbed onto the car's hood before being hit by the driver and landing on the ground. It is said that she sustained a deadly injury to her head.
The Honda CRV was eventually deserted, and two individuals were witnessed fleeing from it. Authorities are currently searching for them.
6-Year-Old Son Survives
Columbus authorities are searching for two men believed to be involved in the killing of a woman who attempted to prevent them from taking her vehicle with her young son. The car was left not far from there.
According to police, witnesses observed two men running north, passing by where Stakely was on the ground, leaping over a fence, and fleeing into a nearby apartment complex.
Earlier that morning, authorities reported that security footage captured a group of men peering into residences in the Castenea Way neighborhood, just one block from Blue Knoll where the altercation involving Stakely took place.
According to police, two males in the group fit the description of the individuals seen running past Stakely after she was hit. Stakely was transported in critical condition by medics to Mount Carmel East Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries at 8:43 a.m.
Stakely worked as a speech-language pathologist at Winchester Trail Elementary School within the Canal Winchester Local Schools district.
A news release stated that Ms. Alexa, known to students as such, had been working for the district for five years. Stakely, a single mother, also held a second job as a server to provide for her 6-year-old son. Alexa had a deep love for children and speech-language therapy.
The district stated that she was intelligent and empathetic, showing great concern for assisting children in enhancing their communication skills.
The Ohio mother, who resides in Pickerington, earned a master's degree in speech-language pathology from Ohio State University, as indicated on her LinkedIn profile.
Officials are urging individuals to contact the Columbus police homicide detectives or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers with any information, such as doorbell camera footage, that may help in the investigation. Every report made to Crime Stoppers remains confidential.
