According to reports from WESH-TV, Daytona Beach police say 32-year-old Ebony Wilkerson of Cross drove her van into the ocean Tuesday with her three children still inside. Wilkerson is said to be also pregnant.
The police chief told the station that his officers had actually interviewed the mother prior to the incident after family members reported her acting strange.
“Her sister had called dispatch and told them that she had been talking about demons that day before she left the house,” Police Chief Mike Chitwood said Wednesday.
Wilkerson is reportedly still in the hospital. Deputies told WESH-TV that the mother, who is originally from Berkeley County, will have a mental evaluation and will be interviewed to determine if she will be charged.
The sheriff for Volusia County, Ben Johnson, said deputies want to get Wilkerson into the system one way or another to ensure that her children are protected.
Her children, aged 3, 9 and 10, were also taken to the hospital to be examined and are okay, officials said.
The rescue of the children was caught on video by a bystander. It shows a rescuer carrying two children away from the sinking van when the children tell them there was another child inside.
The men are seen on video frantically trying to get to the small child through the hatchback and the driver’s side door. It also shows that Wilkerson appears disoriented and walks away from the van with the child still inside.
The Florida Department of Children and Families currently has custody of the woman’s three children. Officials said the children will be placed with family, after a background check.
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