On Monday night, a 22-year-old Tampa mother was found dead in a residential area by her vehicle with her 23-month-old son asleep inside the automobile. Her family is heartbroken.
According to a report from the Tampa Police Department, officers were summoned to “the 10700 block of Pictorial Park Dr inside of the Easton Park subdivision in New Tampa.”
They found 22-year-old Alana Sims’ body lying on the ground.
“Alana was the best person you could be around,” Shahlevi Sims, Alana’s mother, told People about her daughter. “She wasn’t around drama.”
Police reported that the young mother had upper body trauma when she was found. Family members revealed that Alana was five months pregnant.
“She stayed to herself, you know, just a real down-to-earth person,” Shalevi continued. “She loved being around her nieces. She loved her son and her family.”
Her unharmed 23-month-old baby boy was in a car seat in the back of the Ford EcoSport SUV. A family member is taking care of the child.
Police don’t have much information regarding who or what precisely caused Alana’s death. According to 10 Tampa Bay, family members told police that the 22-year-old was from Tampa, but they weren’t familiar with the area she was found. And no one knows why she was in the area.
“My closest sibling. That was my best friend. I told her everything. We did everything together,” Alana’s sister, Carli Williams said. “She always had a smile on her face. Was always positive no matter what.”
Williams continued, “Alana, she was like a mother to all of us. Even makes the joke, even though I’m older than her, she was taller than me.”
A GoFundMe was started to help the family with funeral expenses. The goal is $4,000, with $12,120 raised.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding the incident to come forward. Anyone with information is urged to call the Tampa Police Department at 813-231-6130 or share a tip through TIP411, available through the department’s TampaPD app.
