Two Florida Sheriff Officers Commit Suicide Within Days Of Each, Leave Their One-Month Old Baby Behind
Jan. 6 2022, Published 1:30 p.m. ET
Two sheriff deputies from St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office in Florida committed suicide within days of each other, leaving their one-month-old baby alone.
The young couple, Clayton Osteen, 24, and Victoria Pacheco, who shared a son named Jayce, took their own lives between NYE 2021 and January 4th, 2022.
According to reports, authorities received a call shortly before midnight on New Year's Eve regarding Osteen's suicidal attempt. He was later rushed to the hospital to be treated for his injuries.
Several days later, on January 2nd, the officials said his family decided to remove him from life support.
On Tuesday, the tragedy took a turn for the worst after the sheriff's department learned that Osteen's partner Pacheco had also died by suicide.
St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken J. Mascara issued a statement concerning the death of his two officers.
"Words cannot express the tremendous loss we all feel after losing these two members of our sheriff's office family," he wrote. "As a sheriff, I saw these two deputies as young, ambitious, and a great compliment to my already amazing group of professionals. 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."
Mascara explained that law enforcement is not only dealing with their own "day-to-day stress" but also "the stress of those whom they serve in our community," before noting it can "sometimes be very challenging."
He concluded his statement by saying, "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 mental well-being and normalize the conversation about the challenges so many of us face on a regular basis."
Last year Osteen was awarded as the deputy of the year after joining the department in 2019, his obituary stated.
His loved ones recalled him as "one hell of a funny guy, someone you could always count on in the time of need, and loved being an uncle."
They added, "He absolutely adored his significant other and mother of his child. But of all his accomplishments, he was most proud of being a dad."