Ebony Wilkerson, the pregnant South Carolina woman who had driven a locked van with her three children inside into the ocean, was arrested and charged on Friday for attempted murder and child abuse charges, the Los Angeles Times said in a report. According to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office in Florida, Wilkerson is currently being held in the country jail without bail. Officials had said that the woman had been admitted in the Halifax Health Medical Center for a medical evaluation on her mental health for several days.
A video showing bystanders and rescuers attempting to rescue the occupants of a 2012 Honda Odessey in the surf along Daytona Beach on Tuesday gone viral, the paper said. The video shows the car almost submerged in the salty waters, with Wilkerson and her two daughters and her younger son. Wilkerson allegedly drove the car with her kids with the intention of killing them, which was also echoed by her children and witnesses at the daring sea rescue.
Volusia County Sheriff Ben Johnson said in a news conference about Wilkerson's arrest. "She told them to close their eyes and go to sleep. She was trying to take them to a better place. You're supposed to protect your children at all costs," Johnson said. "You're not supposed to try to kill your children."
Investigators seconded the allegation, with two of the children who claimed that their mother wanted them to die. "One of the children said that Wilkerson had locked the doors, put the windows up and then drove into the surf, saying she was doing it to ‘keep all of us safe. The oldest child grabbed the steering wheel and unsuccessfully tried to steer the vehicle away from the water."
The children's struggles against their mother had attracted bystanders, which prompted attention for a rescue, the LA Times said. It was also observed that Wilkerson got out of the van during the rescue, leaving her kids in the process.
A relative interviewed by investigators refuted the belief that Wilkerson had any mental illness, and claimed that the defendant was frequently abused by her husband and came to Florida with her children to escape.
