6-Week-Old Florida Child Orphaned After Sheriff Deputy Parents Both Die by Suicide
Clayton Osteen and Victoria Pacheco served as Sheriff’s Deputies in St. Lucie County, Florida. Their son was born in November.
A 6-week-old baby is now an orphan after both parents died by suicide within two days of each other.
Clayton Osteen and Victoria Pacheco served as Sheriff’s Deputies in St. Lucie County, Florida. Sheriff Ken Mascara described the two as “young and ambitious” in a statement.
Deputy Pacheco was given a department award for Life Saving after assisting a man in cardiac arrest, and Deputy Osteen was awarded 2020 St. Lucie County Deputy of the Year.
Their son, Jayce, was born on November 22, 2021.
“For reasons completely unknown and totally out of character, Clayton Osteen died by suicide on December 31st,” the family wrote on a GoFundMe page for the newborn. “In pain from the loss of her partner and child’s father, Victoria Pacheco also died by suicide two days later.”
Sheriff Mascara said he hopes this tragedy will be "a catalyst to help erase the stigma surrounding mental well-being and normalize the conversation about the challenges so many of us face on a regular basis.”
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