On November 22, the couple welcomed their first child.

After his parents, both sheriff's deputy officers, took their own lives within days of one another, a baby boy aged just one month has been left alone in Florida.

Clayton Osteen, St. Lucie County deputy, committed suicide on January 2. His girlfriend, Deputy Victoria Pacheco had just given birth on November 22 and then took her own life "in the aftermath of Deputy Osteen’s death," Sheriff Ken Mascara confirmed Wednesday.

"On New Year's Eve just before midnight, our agency responded quickly to a call in which we learned that Deputy Osteen was off duty at that time and attempted to end his life," said the Sheriff in a statement. "Deputy Osteen was taken off life support on Sunday, January 2. His family made the difficult decision to take him out of his life."

"This morning, we learned that Deputy Pacheco took her own life after Deputy Osteen died.

"Words can't express the immense loss that we feel after losing these two members to our Sheriff's Office family."

Sheriff Mascara described them as ambitious, young and a compliment to his team. "It's easy for the public to see law enforcement as superhuman... but we must remember that they are human, just like us."

He said that it was impossible to understand the private circumstances that led to such a devastating loss, but he hopes it will be a catalyst to change the stigma surrounding mental health.

According to GoFundMe, Osteen, 24, and Pacheco (23), were happy, first-time parents, excited about their growing family and in love with Jayce, their baby Jayce.

Clayton committed suicide December 31, 2021, for unknown reasons. Victoria, still reeling from the shock of losing her husband, took her own life just two days later.

It stated that Clayton was the Deputy of 2020 and a SWAT team member. He also served in the United States Marine Corps.

WPTV reports that both officers were commended for saving the lives of two drug overdose victims in separate incidents during the past two-years.

Sheriff Mascara stated that law enforcement deals with the daily stress we all face, as well as the stress of the people they serve in our communities. This can sometimes prove to be quite challenging.

Osteen was described in his obituary as "one helluva funny guy, someone you could count on when it mattered, and loved being an Uncle."

He loved his wife and his mother, and he was a total lover of them both. He was proudest of his fatherhood, and all of his achievements.

Osteen's brother is also a St. Lucie deputy and will now take care of Jayce.

Get help if you or someone you care about is suffering from depression, or has thoughts of taking their own lives or harming themselves. For those in distress, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1 800 273-8255) offers confidential, 24/7 support.

-----------------------------------

Title: Newborn Orphaned After Florida Sheriff Deputy Parents Die by Suicide Within Days of Each Other
Sourced From: toofab.com/2022/01/06/newborn-orphaned-after-florida-sheriff-deputy-parents-die-by-suicide-within-days-of-each-other/
Published Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2022 16:17:10 +0000

Read More