LAKELAND, Fla. — Officials say a mother in Lakeland, Florida intentionally drove her car into Lake Wire on Dec. 30 with her two sons inside, killing all three of them.
The Lakeland Police Department said in a news release that during their investigation found that all evidence suggests that Ortilla Zamora, 35, intentionally drove her car into Lake Wire on the morning of Dec. 30. Detectives learned from Zamora’s family members that she had possibly been dealing with mental health issues before the incident.
According to WPEC, LPD said it happened just before 5:30 a.m. Officers were called out for a report of a submerged car on the west side of Lake Wire. Once officers arrived in the area, they found a car about 15 feet from the shoreline. Fire crews and dive teams were reportedly called out to search the water and get the car out as well.
Divers reportedly noticed that the front driver’s window was rolled down with a woman inside of it, according to WPEC. Once the car was on land, the two boys’ bodies were additionally found. hey were ages four and nine.
LPD said the Polk County Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy on Tuesday. Additional testing as well as toxicology exams are part of the investigation. Zamora and her two sons are from the Wauchula area and LPD said it’s not clear why they were in Lakeland that morning.
The investigation is ongoing. No further information has been released.