The mother found lying dead in a residential street of a Tampa, Florida, neighborhood near an SUV where her toddler was sleeping inside has been identified by her family as 22-year-old Alana Sims.
Sims’ family told FOX13 Tampa that the 22-year-old mother was five months pregnant and would have celebrated her 23rd birthday on Feb. 13.
The body of a woman was found shortly after 10 p.m. Monday in the 10700 block of Pictorial Park Drive in the Easton Park subdivision in New Tampa. Police responded and found a sleeping male toddler in a car seat inside a Ford EcoSport SUV and the body of a deceased adult woman lying next to the vehicle.
Sims' son, who was found unharmed, was "her everything," her mother told the station.
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"She shouldn't have to die young," Sims’ mother said, remembering her as "a lovable soul."
"And everybody should know that, you know, your loved ones, you want to keep them close because you just don't know," she added.
While investigators have released few details surrounding the woman’s death, police said she had signs upper body trauma. Police have yet to confirm the woman’s identity.
Homicide detectives were actively investigating the incident and speaking with neighbors early Tuesday.
One neighbor told the station that they heard multiple "pop" sounds that appeared to be the sound of gunshots recorded on an outdoor camera, however the footage did not capture what happened to the woman.
Authorities asked anyone with information about the incident to call the Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130 or share a tip through TIP411, accessible through the TampaPD app.
The Easton Park subdivision is located near I-75 in New Tampa, a neighborhood in Hillsborough County popular for its multiple golf courses including Pebble Creek Golf Club.
