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6th January 2022
10:50am GMT
The couple died days apart/Via Facebook[/caption]
Upon investigating, police officers found the body to be that of their colleague Osteen, who had been on the force since November 2019. The officer was taken to hospital - but his family made the difficult decision to turn off life support two days later.
Only 24-hours-later, Osteen's partner and colleague Victoria Pacheco, who had been an officer since February 2020, took her own life.
"Words cannot express the tremendous loss we all feel after losing these two members of our sheriff's office family," Sheriff Mascara wrote in a statement.
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Osteen was a retired US Marine, previously serving as a rifleman with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment/Via Facebook[/caption]
Specific details on their double suicide are yet to be revealed, but Mascara stated that deputies often deal with "stress" and reminded people that they are only human.
He continued: "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."
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Their son was born in mid-November/Via Facebook[/caption]
Osteen, a retired US Marine with the 3rd Battalion and Pacheco had their first child in mid-November.
