Police shared body-camera video when officers found a boy inside his mother's SUV after it was stolen. (Columbus police)
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus police released body camera video showing the moment they found a boy inside his mother’s SUV after it was stolen.
WSYX reports it obtained the video on Friday, a day after the 6-year-old’s mother died in the carjacking.
Authorities said the situation started when the child’s mother, 29-year-old Alexa Stakely, was picking him up from his babysitter’s apartment early Thursday morning.
Police said she put her son, who was sleeping, into her Honda CR-V and returned to the apartment to retrieve something from the sitter.
But that’s when a thief reportedly jumped into the vehicle, which was running, and began to drive away.
Columbus police said Stakely tried to stop the carjacker by jumping onto the hood of the vehicle and yelling for that person to stop.
However, she ended up falling off the hood and suffered critical injuries.
The 29-year-old mother suffered a serious head injury and was rushed to an area hospital where she later died, WSYX reported.
The car thief ultimately ditched the vehicle nearby and took off before police located it.
When police arrived, they found the vehicle with the child unharmed and still sleeping inside the car.
An officer can be heard talking to the boy in the bodycam video and asking him if he is OK while the child appears to just be waking up.
In a tribute on Facebook, Canal Winchester Schools said Stakely was a dedicated speech-language therapist in the preschool program at Winchester Trail Elementary.
She had been with the district for five years and was affectionately known to her students as “Ms. Alexa.”
“Alexa was passionate about children and speech-language therapy. She was smart and compassionate, and she cared so much about helping children develop their ability to communicate,” the district shared. “She was a great mom who was incredibly dedicated to her son. 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.”
Stakely was reportedly picking up her son that early morning after working her second job.
Police said they have not yet made any arrests in the case and are urging anyone with information or surveillance video to come forward as they continue to look for the suspect.
Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Lemmon at 614-645-2558 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614- 461-8477.