A mother from Ohio lost her life on Thursday after she was thrown onto the pavement by carjackers while trying to save her sleeping 6-year-old boy by jumping in front of her vehicle.
According to city police, at around 1:30 a.m., Alexa Stakely, 29, was picking up her kid from his babysitter’s condo at 6300 Blue Knoll Drive in Canal Winchester. She put him in a car seat and walked back inside to get some of his belongings.
Upon her return, she noticed an unfamiliar person sitting in her 2022 Honda SUV’s driver’s seat.
She leaped on the hood in an attempt to stop him. He floored it, sending her flying onto the sidewalk and killing her with a severe head injury.
With the case, police were searching for two male suspects who were reported to have abandoned the automobile, run across a fence, and entered a nearby apartment building. Authorities said they were part of a bigger group of persons they had caught on security video earlier that night looking through windows.
The toddler was discovered by police in the abandoned car. There was no bodily injury to him.
Stakely worked as a speech-language pathologist at a nearby elementary school after receiving a master’s degree from Ohio State, according to the police. To support her son, the single mother worked two jobs as a waitress, and she picked up her son at the end of her shift.
According to a statement released by school administrators on the district 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.” “She was a great mom who was incredibly dedicated to her son,” the statement read.
Anyone with information about the suspects is urged by the police to contact Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS. We are asking anyone who has surveillance footage that captures the incident or the suspects in the neighborhood to upload it using this link.
Advocates for Kids and Car Safety claim the tragedy is a tragic illustration of a troubling trend. As of this writing, there have been 56 documented cases nationwide in 2024 involving children left unaccompanied in a stolen vehicle.
As stated in a release, “Thieves watch for vehicles to be left running or unattended with the keys inside,” according to Amber Rollins, the group director. “Most of the time, they don’t realize there is a child inside until after they have stolen the vehicle.”
Regardless of age, Rollins is pleading with parents to never leave their kids or dogs unattended in a car. She also advises locking your doors every time you leave your car, even if it’s simply to fill up the gas tank.
Because parents don’t have to get out of their cars, businesses that provide curbside and drive-thru services have an inherent safety element, she said.
“If a business doesn’t offer curbside delivery, call upon arrival and ask them to bring your order to your car,” she said. When you inform folks you have little children, most of them will be more than willing to make accommodations for you. A village is needed.”