A 29-year-old mother from Ohio has died after making a desperate attempt to prevent thieves from driving off in her car with heryoung son inside.
Alexa Stakely suffered fatal head injuries when she was struck by her own vehicle. Local police said she was pronounced dead at hospital.
The thieves abandoned the Honda people carrier a short distance away, fleeing past Ms Stakely as she lay injured on the road.
Her six-year-old son is believed to have been unharmed in the incident.
Ms Stakely, a single mother, worked as a speech therapist and waitress. The tragedy occurred at 1.30am on Thursday after she finished a restaurant shift and went to collect her son from a babysitter.
With the boy safely in the car, she then left the Honda running as she returned to the babysitter’s house to pick up her bags.
But as she came back to the car, she saw thieves attempting to make off in it - leading Ms Stakely to scream and try to stop it from being driven away.
In this motion, she was hit as the driver pulled out and did not stop.
Columbus police say that two suspects remain at large.
The Canal Winchester Local Schools District, for whom she worked, released a statement to add she was a “dedicated mother”.
"Alexa was passionate about children and speech-language therapy,” the tribute read.
"She was smart and compassionate, and she cared so much about helping children develop their ability to communicate.
"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."
