Mother Intentionally Drives Car In Lake Killing Herself and Two Sons
By News 12
Deputies say new information reveals the cause of death surrounding three bodies found in a submerged car in Central Florida.
The Lakeland Police Department said on Friday, Dec. 30, just before 5:30 a.m., officers responded to a reported submerged car along the west side of Lake Wire. At the scene, officers found a vehicle 15 feet from the shoreline. The fire department and dive teams were called to search and remove the vehicle from the water.
That’s when divers made the horrifying discovery.
The police department said while divers were removing the car from the water, they noticed the front driver’s window rolled down with a woman inside. When the car was finally onshore, the bodies of two young children, ages four and nine were also located inside the car.
The police department provided an update on Thursday saying it has identified the woman and children inside of the car, as well as the motive.
According to investigators, 35-year-old Ortilla Zamora, intentionally drove her vehicle into Lake Wire on the morning of December 30, with her two sons still inside. Family members told detectives that Zamora had possibly been experiencing mental health issues a few days before the incident. The mother and her sons were not from the area and its unknown why they were in Lakeland that morning.
Additional testing by the Polk County Medical Examiner’s Office is still being conducted as part of an ongoing active investigation.
