Mom killed while trying to save son, 6, inside stolen SUV
FILE-Law enforcement tape surrounds a crime scene in Columbus, Ohio. PLEASE NOTE: This is not an image of the incident involving the mother but a file photo. (Photo by Stephen Zenner/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A mother was killed as she attempted to stop a thief from stealing her car while her son was still inside the vehicle in Columbus, Ohio.
Alexa Stakely suffered a serious head injury after falling off the car and was taken to an area hospital where she later died, according to police.
Authorities told WSYX-TV in Columbus that the incident occurred on July 11. Stakely was picking up her 6-year-old son from a babysitter at a condominium complex, and she was putting the sleeping boy in her Honda SUV while the engine was running.
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The 29-year-old mom went back to the babysitter’s home to grab something she left behind and when she returned to the car she spotted it backing out into the street as people heard Stakely screaming for her son.
Police told WSYX-TV that Stakley got on the hood of the SUV to get it to stop, but was thrown off the vehicle when the suspect began driving carelessly.
Authorities told WBNS-TV in Ohio that the suspect driving the SUV stopped the vehicle and abandoned it with the boy asleep inside.
Citing police, WBNS-TV noted that two males were spotted running past Stakely after she was injured and lying in the street. Surveillance video later captured a group of males looking in apartments and two of the males matched the description of the individuals who ran by Stakely.
Stakely, an Ohio State University graduate, worked as a speech pathologist for Canal Winchester Schools in Ohio and had another job to support her son, WSYX-TV reported.
The school shared a Facebook post on their official page writing in part, "We are deeply saddened to share that a member of our CW Family, Speech-Language Pathologist Alexa (Gough) Stakely, passed away this morning from injuries she sustained in a tragic incident late last night. "Ms. Alexa," as her students knew her, was a dedicated Speech-Language Therapist in our preschool program at Winchester Trail Elementary and had been with our district for five years."
This story was reported from Washington, D.C.