‘It’s Devastating’: After Suicides, A Newborn Son Left Behind

Megan VerHelst
Updated ·5 min read
A year after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Park Police stand along the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
A year after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, U.S. Park Police stand along the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)


ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Friday, Jan. 7. Throughout the pandemic, millions of American taxpayers received thousands of dollars in relief funds to help them cover unexpected job loss, illness and other loss of income. Among those who received the money: the convicted Boston Marathon bomber. Now, the government wants that money back.

Here are the headlines we’re following today:

  • A 1-month-old baby in Florida is orphaned after his parents, both deputies, took their own lives.

  • For people of color, the Jan. 6 insurrection was more than a violent challenge to a free and fair election.

  • Scammers are now taking advantage of the shortage of COVID-19 tests.

  • A mother and baby were shot outside a Texas Walmart this week. The suspect: a 2½-year-old toddler.

A 1-month-old baby in Florida is orphaned after his parents, both deputies for the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, took their lives within days of each other.

The two deputies — Clayton Osteen, 24, and Victoria Pacheco, 23 — had been involved in a long-term relationship and were "filled with joy" when their son, Jayce Osteen, was born on Nov. 22, their friend Kelly Ridle wrote in a crowdfunding campaign.

Retired police officer Dana Bennett said the suicides raise awareness about the issues cops continue to deal with at the end of their shifts.

"People don't understand what we take home with us," Bennett said. "It's devastating. It really is. When one of us hurts, we all hurt." » Baby Orphaned As Parents, Both Florida Deputies, Die By Suicide, via Miami Patch

Marathon Bomber Received COVID Check

Convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev received a $1,400 COVID-19 relief payment while in prison last summer, according to a federal court filing. Now, federal prosecutors are asking the Bureau of Prisons to return the money being held in an inmate trust for Tsarnaev to the form of payment for the victims of the deadly 2013 attack. » Convicted Boston Marathon Bomber Received $1,400 COVID Check, via Boston Patch

Fake COVID-19 Tests The Latest Scam

If you don't manage to get COVID-19 in the post-holiday surge of infections, you could still be one of the victims of the coronavirus, federal officials are warning after an uptick in fake and unauthorized at-home testing kits as scammers take advantage of test shortages. » Fake COVID-19 Tests Are Latest — But Not Only — Coronavirus Scam, via Across America Patch

‘Hatred In The Eyes’

The insurrection by Donald Trump supporters and members of far-right groups shattered the sense of security that many had long felt at the Capitol as rioters forcibly delayed the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's presidential election victory.

But for people of color, including many in Congress, the attack was more than a violent challenge to a free and fair election — it was an eerily familiar display of white supremacist violence, this time at the very seat of American democracy. » 'Hatred In The Eyes': How Racist Rage Animated Jan. 6 Riots, via Across America Patch

More national headlines on Patch, other news websites:

Around ‘The Patch'

A 2½-year-old child found a loaded gun in their parents' pickup truck as it was parked outside a Texas Walmart store Wednesday and accidentally shot their mother and 1½-year-old sibling, according to police. » Texas Toddler Shoots Mom, Baby With Gun In Parents' Truck: Police, via Dallas-Fort Worth Patch

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Contributor Spotlight

American horse racing was finally on the right track in protecting racehorses and stamping out doping for good. While enforcement would be essential to good outcomes for these horses and for racing as a sport, but recent developments give cause for skepticism, writes Marty Irby for Washington, D.C. Patch.

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This article originally appeared on the Across America Patch