One-month-old baby becomes orphan as both parents commit suicide
A little baby, Jayce Osteen, has become an orphan at just one-month-old after his parents who were two Florida sheriff’s deputies committed suicide within days of each other.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Jayce’s father, Clayton Osteen and his mother, and Victoria Pacheco both committed suicide in the past week.
Clayton who joined the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office in 2019 and was awarded deputy in 2020 attempted to take his own life shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve.
He was placed on life support after suffering injuries but his family decided to take him off life support on Jan. 2, according to the sheriff’s office.
Sadly Pacheco took her own life in the wake of Clayton’s death, according to the sheriff’s department.
Clayton’s obituary read: “Clayton was one hell of a funny guy, someone you could always count on in the time of need, and loved being an uncle.”
His loved ones wrote. “He absolutely adored his significant other and mother of his child. But of all his accomplishments, he was most proud of being a dad.”
St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken J. Mascara issued a statement on Tuesday, writing: “Words cannot express the tremendous loss we all feel after losing these two members of our sheriff’s office family.
“As 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 added that law enforcement often carries the weight of “the stress of those whom they serve” in addition to their own struggles.
“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,” Mascara concluded.
-The Nation
