A one-month-old baby ended up being orphaned after his parents ended up taking their own lives at the start of the New Year.
The parents were Florida sheriff deputies with the father, Deputy Clayton Osteen dying on Jan. 2.
According to the sheriff’s office, Osteen was off duty before midnight on New Year’s Eve and tried to kill himself. He was placed on life support before the family decided to remove him from it on Sunday, Jan. 2.
Days later, his partner identified as Victoria Pacheco, committed suicide although the sheriff did not get into detail to specify her death according to Sheriff Ken Mascara in an official statement.
“As sheriff, I saw these two deputies as young, ambitious, and a great compliment to my already amazing group of professionals,” Mascara said. “To the general public, and sometimes even myself, it’s easy to view law enforcement as superhuman … but let’s not forget that they’re human just like us.”
As of this writing, the reason behind the successive tragedies remains unknown.
Also, the name of the orphaned child was withheld.
“While it is impossible for us to fully comprehend the private circumstances leading up to this devastating loss, we pray that this tragedy becomes a catalyst for change, a catalyst to help ease the stigma surrounding well-being and normalize the conversation about the challenges so many of us face on a regular basis,” Mascara added.
Osteen served in the US Marines and was awarded Deputy of the Year in 2020, a year after joining the department according to personal records cited by WPTV.
One of the highlights of Osteen’s service was saving an individual using CPR following a drug overdose.
Pacheco also joined the force in 2020 and was awarded just last year for her involvement in also saving someone who overdosed on drugs.
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