Mother dies after attempting to stop carjacking with 6-year-old in back seat
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A woman is dead after she attempted to thwart a carjacking while her six-year-old child was in the back seat early Thursday morning in the southeast corner of the city.
At around 1:30 a.m., officers were called to the White Oak Park Condominiums in the White Ash neighborhood, just north of Canal Winchester. Police found a woman who had been injured near the intersection of Blue Knoll Drive and Annual Drive.
Man in critical condition after North Linden shooting
The Franklin County Coroner’s Office confirmed the woman, Alexa Stakely, 29, was pronounced dead at the hospital at 8:43 a.m. Canal Winchester Schools superintendent Kiya Hunt also confirmed Stakely was a speech-language pathologist at Winchester Trail Elementary School.
According to police, Stakely arrived at the apartment complex to pick up her 6-year-old son, who was being watched by a resident. She brought out her child, who was asleep, and placed him in the back seat, then returned to the apartment to retrieve his belongings.
Police said a suspect jumped into the car, which was left running, and started to drive off. Stakely, seeing the car pull away, ran from the babysitter’s front door toward the car, screaming for her child. The car then hit Stakely, throwing her to the ground resulting in a fatal head wound.
Police initially reported that Stakely jumped onto the hood of the car and was thrown off, but a later press release removed that detail.
Woman sentenced in fatal stabbing of 17-year-old girl
Stakely was taken to an area hospital in critical condition but died later. The child was back under the supervision of the babysitter. He was unharmed and remained asleep throughout the incident.
Police are looking for two male suspects who they said were part of a group of males caught on camera looking into apartments along Castenea Way. When confronted, those males walked east into the complex and out of view.
Neighbors said a situation like this shakes the entire neighborhood.
“I think women and parents in general have that instinct to save their children,” resident Megan Milam said. “It’s not shocking, but it’s crazy to hear about.”
Ohio LifeWise worker fired over past student sexting accusations
“That was a heroic decision,” resident Calvin Kidd said. “I would have jumped on the hood of the car too if that were my child, my car and stuff. And it wasn’t right. And I hope they get the people who did it.”
Hunt said she was a dedicated teacher, known as “Ms. Alexa” to her students.
“She was a great mom who was incredibly dedicated to her son,” Hunt said in an email sent to District families Thursday. “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 said Stakely was a single mother and worked a second job as a waitress; she had just finished her shift when the incident happened.
Woman sentenced in fatal stabbing of 17-year-old girl
Many people in the area have surveillance video cameras but none of the people NBC4 talked to caught video of the incident. They say they hope the police find those responsible.
Anyone with any information is asked to scan the QR code on the left or contact Columbus Police Det. Lemmon at 614-645-2558 or email [email protected].
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV.
