A couple of young police officers, parents for a month of their first child, committed suicide a few days apart.
A family and colleagues in shock. A couple of young parents, whose first child was born last month, committed suicide a few days apart, leaving him an orphan. The magazine “People” reports that these two police officers living in Florida died during the holiday season. 24-year-old Clayton Osteen tried to end his life on December 31. He was taken to hospital where his relatives finally decided to unplug the machines that were keeping him alive on January 2. His companion, Victoria Pacheco, then also ended her life, announced the sheriff’s office on Tuesday.
No one understands what prompted the couple to commit suicide, when they seemed overwhelmed and eager to start their family life. After their deaths, tributes have multiplied. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, which Clayton Osteen joined in 2019, recalled that he was honored in 2020 with the Agent of the Year award. This former Marine had also received the honors after saving the life of a person who overdosed on drugs. “Clayton was a really funny guy, someone you could always count on in times of need, and loved being his role as uncle,” his loved ones wrote in the obituary. “He adored the one who shared his life, who was the mother of his child. But of all his accomplishments, what he was most proud of was being a dad ”. “Words cannot express the enormous loss we all feel after losing these two family members from our sheriff’s office,” County Sheriff Ken J. Mascara said in a statement. He added, “While it is impossible for us to fully understand the private circumstances that led to this devastating loss, we pray that this tragedy will become a catalyst for change, a catalyst to help ease the stigma surrounding good- be and normalize the conversation about the challenges that many of us face on a regular basis ”.
“She was upset”
A fundraising page was opened by their relatives. “Clayton and Victoria were joyful parents, enthusiastic about their growing family, in love with their baby Jayce, and therefore in love with each other,” it is written. “Tragically, for totally unknown and totally inconceivable reasons, Clayton committed suicide on December 31, 2021. In shock at the loss, Victoria committed suicide two days later”. Longtime family friend Kelly Ridle told the New York Post on Thursday that Clayton had never given any indication that he was psychologically wrong or in pain. If she said she had no explanation for this first death, she added to understand the second better. “Victoria had just had a baby, she was upset”, by the death of her companion. “She had barely given birth, she was afraid of covid. I don’t even know if she managed to ask for help. Everything was too much for her ”.
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