Ohio Mom Killed While Trying to Stop Car from Being Stolen with Her 6-Year-Old Son Inside

An Ohio mother was killed as she tried to stop two carjackers from stealing her car with her 6-year-old son inside.

Alexa Stakely, who was a speech pathologist for the Canal Winchester, Ohio, school district, suffered traumatic injuries after she was struck by a car early on the morning of July 11, the Columbus Division of Police says.

Police say Stakely, a single mother, had just finished a shift at her second job as a waitress and was picking up her son from a babysitter’s house. After putting her son in her SUV and starting the vehicle, Stakely ran back toward the home to get something from the babysitter. 

As Stakely was returning to the vehicle, it began backing out and she began running after it, according to police. The 29-year-old mother was then struck by the SUV and thrown onto the pavement, police say.

The SUV was then driven through an apartment complex and abandoned, with Stakely’s son sleeping inside. The child was unharmed, police say.

Two male suspects who were seen running past the scene are being sought by police.

Stakely was pronounced dead later that morning.

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“Alexa was passionate about children and speech-language therapy,” the Canal Winchester School District said in a Facebook post. “She was smart and compassionate, and she cared so much about helping children develop their ability to communicate. 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 known to her students as "Ms. Alexa," according to the post, and worked with preschoolers in the district.