A 5-year-old girl has passed away after she was kidnapped by her mother and taken on an intense police chase in Florida.
According to police via Action News Jax, on Thursday night the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office responded to a call about a kidnapping in progress. Pamela Cabrera, a 32-year-old with a history of mental illness, including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, had kidnapped her daughter Vanity, whom she had not had custody of in two years.
While police were on the way to the scene, an officer spotted the suspect’s vehicle stopped at a traffic light. They say they tried to pull her over, but the woman sped off onto the I-95, resulting in a 30-mile police chase reaching 90 MPH.
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Sadly, when the suspect turned off the 9B exit, she drove off the ramp and into a retention pond. Several cops dove into the water to rescue the victims, but only the woman could be pulled out. Vanity was nowhere to be found. A dive team soon searched the area and discovered the 5-year-old at the bottom of the pond, outside of the vehicle. The cause of death has not been confirmed.
Cabrera has since been booked for vehicular homicide, fleeing law enforcement at high speeds, and two battery charges, according to Action News Jax, who also discovered that she has a history of criminal battery charges, including an arrest for spitting at an officer. At least one of her cases was dismissed due to her mental illness.
The Department of Children and Families granted custody of Vanity to Pamela’s sister, Jeanette Davis, in April 2020. Despite the heartbreaking tragedy, the family is asking the public not to judge the “desperate” mother. Solange Slaquer, the suspect’s cousin who previously had temporary custody of Vanity, told First Coast News:
“Pamela wasn’t a bad person. She just needs help and she didn’t get the help she needed from the government. She wasn’t a bad person. We tried to look for help plenty times and we called police plenty times to help her, we took her to psychologist and Pamela just needed help.”
Speaking of the custody situation, Solange added:
“In 2020 they gave me Vanity. I had her for a whole month because they took Vanity away from her because she was having mental health problems.”
Jeanette, the last person to have custody of the young girl, who she raised like her “own daughter,” reflected on the tragedy on a GoFundMe page she set up to help with unexpected funeral costs.
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She shared:
“A tragedy is the only way to describe what happened on March 31st 2022. Vanity our 5 year old niece was in a horrific accident, that has unfortunately called her to heaven. Although she was our niece we had custody of her and raised her like our own daughter.”
Stressing Pamela’s need for help, she added:
“Please understand that this is not a reflection of the type of mother Pamela was, she absolutely loved Vanity. Pamela was/is ill, she needed help; in no way does this excuse the actions that occurred on that awful day. Instead of judging her by this desperate attempt to be with Vanity, we should instead bring light to the seriousness of mental health and how not receiving the proper treatment can cause us to make decisions we otherwise wouldn’t.”
Whoa… It’s incredible to see how forgiving and kind these family members are being after Cabrera’s actions. That’s not to say they aren’t deeply mourning the loss of the “loving child,” she noted:
“Vanity was the most loving child, she was bright and beautiful, she could lighten up a room with just a smile. Vanity loved dancing, going to the beach and just simply being around the people she loved, she had such an infectious laugh that you couldn’t help but laugh with her. Oh what we wouldn’t do to hear her laugh again, see her smile again, & just hold her in our arms one more time. In our hearts Vanity was our daughter.”
We’re sending lots of love to all Vanity’s loved ones. What a sad situation. R.I.P.
[Image via Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office & GoFundMe]
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