Woman drives her children into ocean
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. • A pregnant South Carolina woman who drove a minivan carrying her three young children into the ocean surf off Florida faces attempted murder and other charges, with authorities saying Friday the children were screaming she was trying to kill them.
Bystanders and officers helped rescue Ebony Wilkerson, 32, and her children, ages three, nine and 10, from their minivan as it was almost submerged Tuesday on Daytona Beach.
Ben Johnson, the Volusia County sheriff, said the woman has denied trying to hurt her children. However, the children told investigators otherwise and witnesses said she tried to keep people from rescuing them.
The vehicle’s windows were rolled up and the doors were locked, and one of the children tried to wrestle the steering wheel away from her, Mr. Johnson said.
“She told them to close their eyes and go to sleep. She was trying to take them to a better place,” he said.
One of the children lowered the windows and the siblings yelled for help, attracting the bystanders, a sheriff ’s office report said.
Ms. Wilkerson told people on the beach “everyone was OK,” but the children screamed their mother was trying to kill them.
As water rushed into the minivan, the woman got out, leaving the children inside, the report said.
Ms. Wilkerson was placed in custody of the sheriff ’s office Friday after being hospitalized for a mental evaluation since Tuesday. Her children were with the Department of Children & Families. She faces three counts each of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse.
“You’re supposed to protect your children at all costs,” the sheriff said.
“You’re not supposed to try to kill your children.”
Hours before Ms. Wilkerson drove into the ocean, her sister worriedly called Daytona Beach police, saying she was talking about demons when she left her sister’s house nearby, a police report said.
After the call to dispatch, Daytona Beach police officers stopped the woman’s black Honda Odyssey. She said she was worried her husband would be coming to Florida to harm the family.
The children were sitting quietly, smiling, and showed no signs of distress, the report added.
“It was clear during my conversation that Wilkerson was suffering from some form of mental illness, but she was lucid and did not provide any signs that she met Baker Act requirements,” a police officer said in the report.
The Florida Mental Health Act, commonly known as the Baker Act, allows authorities to involuntarily take people into custody if they seem to be a threat to themselves.