Florida Woman Shot and Killed 4-Year-Old Child Before Committing Suicide Inside Their Hotel Room
A Florida woman has shot and killed a four-year-old child before turning the gun on herself inside a hotel room on Saturday, police said.
The Port St. Lucie Police Department said Monday that the 32-year-old woman, together with the child and a 28-year-old man, checked into a room in the TownePlace Suites at Marriott in 10460 Southwest Village Parkway on January 19, NBC 2 reported.
Police said the three individuals from Miami had no known connections to Port St. Lucie and had randomly chosen the hotel and location.
According to the police department, the man went to get breakfast on Saturday morning, and when he returned to the room, the door was locked, and the woman was no longer answering.
Florida Woman and Child Found Dead in a Hotel Room
At around 12:15 p.m., hotel staffers called 911, and the police officers responded to the hotel. The man told investigators that he was concerned about the woman and the kid after no one answered the door.
The cops found that the interior security lock was engaged when they tried to open the door. They also said that a refrigerator and sofa blocked the door.
Police officers found the woman and child dead on the bed after eventually forcing their way into the room. According to investigators, the four-year-old child has been shot twice, and the woman died from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police said a 9mm handgun was found in the room. At this point, the cops noted that the motive is still unknown. The names of the trio were also not been disclosed.
Florida Sheriff Hopes 2 Deputies' Suicides Will Be 'Catalyst For Change'
A Florida sheriff hopes that his two deputies' suicides will be a "catalyst for change" that will help "ease the stigma" surrounding mental health.
St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara mourned the loss of his deputies, Clayton Osteen and Victoria Pacheco, who died by suicide within a matter of days.
Osteen served since November 2019, while Pacheco joined the force in February 2020. According to Mascara, their department received a call about an attempted suicide shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve.
Clayton Osteen was one of their members and was off-duty at the time. Investigators learned that the person who had tried to take his own life was Osteen.
The sheriff's deputy was taken to a hospital after his suicide attempt. Osteen's family decided to remove him from his life support two days after his arrival at the hospital.
Victoria Pacheco took her own life the next day. She was Osteen's partner, colleague, and mother of his one-month-old son.
Mascara released a statement expressing their grief over the loss of the two members of the sheriff's office. He noted that deputies are "human" and often deal with "stress."
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Written by: Jess Smith
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