Ohio mom dies in frantic effort to save 6-year-old son from carjacker
An Ohio mom who jumped in front of her own car in an effort to save her sleeping 6-year-old son from carjackers died Thursday after the thieves sent her flying onto the pavement.
Alexa Stakely, 29, was picking up her son from his babysitter's condo at 6300 Blue Knoll Drive in Canal Winchester when she put him in a car seat and went back inside to grab some of his stuff around 1:30 a.m., according to city police.
When she came out again, she saw a stranger in the driver's seat of her 2022 Honda SUV.
She tried to stop him by jumping on the hood. He hit the gas, throwing her onto the pavement and causing a fatal head injury.
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Police were on the hunt for two male suspects in connection with the case after they allegedly dumped the car up the road and ran away, hopping over a fence into a neighboring apartment complex. They were part of a larger group of people seen on surveillance video peeping through windows earlier that night, according to authorities.
Police found the child in the abandoned vehicle. He was not physically harmed.
Stakely earned a master's degree from Ohio State and worked as a speech-language therapist at a local elementary school, police said. She was a single mom and worked a second job as a waitress to provide for her son and was picking up her son after her shift.
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"She was a great mom who was incredibly dedicated to her son," school officials said in a statement posted to the district's website "Ms. Stakely made a difference in the lives of the students and families she worked with and will be missed by so many in our community and beyond."
Police are asking anyone with information on the suspects to call Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS. Anyone with security video showing the incident or the suspects in the area is asked to submit it at this link.
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The incident is a deadly example of a problematic trend, according to Kids and Car Safety, an advocacy group. By its count, 56 incidents around the country have been reported so far in 2024 involving a child left alone in a car that was later stolen.
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"Thieves watch for vehicles to be left running or unattended with the keys inside," the group's director, Amber Rollins, said in a statement. "Most of the time, they don’t realize there is a child inside until after they have stolen the vehicle."
Rollins is urging parents to never leave their children or pets alone in a vehicle, regardless of age, and she says you should lock your doors every time you get out of the vehicle, even if it's just to pump gas.
Businesses that offer drive-thru and curbside service have a built-in safety feature because parents don't have to get out of their car, she said.
"If a business doesn't offer curbside delivery, call upon arrival and ask them to bring your order to your car," she added. "Most people are more than happy to accommodate you when you tell them you have small children. It takes a village."