Evidence suggests that a Wauchula woman intentionally drove her vehicle into Lake Wire on Dec. 30, causing her death and those of her two young sons, according to the Lakeland Police Department.
Ortilla Zamora, 35, died in the incident, as did her sons, ages 4 and 9. It isn’t known why Zamora was in Lakeland that day, LPD said in an update on the case.
LPD officers responded at about 5:30 a.m. on Dec. 30 to a report of a submerged vehicle on the west side of Lake Wire, near Sykes Boulevard. An officer found a vehicle submerged about 15 feet from the shoreline, LPD reported.
Members of the Lakeland Fire Department and the Dive Team were dispatched, and as divers began removing the vehicle they noticed the front driver’s side window down and at least one adult inside the vehicle, LPD said in a news release. The two boys were discovered after the car was removed from the lake, LPD said.
During the investigation, LPD detectives learned from family members that Zamora had possibly been experiencing mental health issues in the days before the incident, LPD said in the update Thursday. The Medical Examiner’s Office for the 10th Judicial Circuit performed an autopsy on Tuesday.
Additional testing, including toxicology exams, will continue as part of the ongoing investigation, LPD said.