A newborn baby has been left orphaned after both his mother and father took their own lives just days apart.
Police officer Clayton Osteen attempted to take his own life on New Year's Eve and was rushed to hospital.
Claytons family then made the difficult decision to turn off his life support two days after he was admitted to hospital.
His partner Victoria Pachecho, who too was a police officer, found it difficult to cope with Clayton's death and took her own life the following day.
Bith Clayton and Victoria were serving officers of the St Lucie County Sheriff's Department in Florida.
Clayton had been a deputy since November 2019, while Victoria had been with the Sheriff's office since February 2020.
County sheriff Ken Mascara said the death of two of his officers was a "tremendous loss".
In a statement, he said: "Words cannot express the tremendous loss we all feel after losing these two members of our sheriff's office family."
No details about the nature and circumstances of their deaths have yet been released.
But Mascara said deputies are "human" and often suffer from "stress".
He said: "While it's impossible for us to fully comprehend the private circumstances leading up to this devastating loss, we pray that this tragedy becomes a catalyst for change, a catalyst to help ease the stigma surrounding mental well-being and normalize the conversation about the challenges so many of us face on a regular basis."
In mid-November, Victoria gave birth to the couple's first child, a son.
Since the couple's tragic passing, friends and colleague's have shared tributes on social media .
Speaking of Clayton on social media, one person wrote: "A true brother lost his internal battle.
"I struggle with finding the words to write that even remotely does him justice. I'm incredibly sorry that you felt this was your only option."
Condolences were also left on Victoria's Facebook page, including from her father, who said: "Love you mama see you on the other side wait for for daddy mama miss you Soo much it's killing me."
