LAKELAND, Fla. — Lakeland Police Department stated Thursday that all evidence suggests that a woman who was found dead in a submerged car with two children on Dec. 30 drove into the lake intentionally.
Detectives stated that they learned from family members that Ortilla Zamora, 35, was experiencing mental health issues days prior to when she was found dead. The mother and her two boys, ages four and nine, are from the Wauchula area, and police stated it's unknown why they were in Lakeland that morning.
RELATED: Eyewitness stunned after mother, 2 children found dead in submerged car in Lakeland
Lakeland Police said that an autopsy was conducted by the Polk County Medical Examiner's Office on Jan. 3, and further testing, including toxicology exams, will continue.
Zamora and her young sons were found dead inside a submerged car in Lakeland on Dec. 30, according to the Lakeland Police Department.
Around 5:25 a.m., officers arrived at Lake Wire after receiving reports of the submerged car. Lakeland Fire Department and Dive Team were also dispatched to the location to assist in removing and searching the car.
Lakeland Police said as drivers began to remove the car, they noticed the front driver's side window was down, and at least one adult was found inside.
Officials said after the car was pulled out of the lake, two children were also found inside the car. Through detectives' preliminary investigations, they do not believe this was the result of a traffic crash. Detectives also said there were no apparent signs of trauma on any of the people in the car.
Police still have questions about why the car ended up in the lake, and so does Kim Seaboldt, who says she witnessed the incident as she drove to work.
“There weren’t a lot of cars on the road. It was maybe me, and I only saw like two other cars," she said. "I see a car in front of me doing a u-turn at Lake Wire (Drive). As I’m going south, they turn around and go north.”
Seconds later, Seaboldt said the car made a "deliberate" right turn off Sikes Blvd. and into the lake.
“I thought for a second, maybe they just decided to park there to look at the view. But then, I didn’t see any braking or anything going on," she recalled.
Seaboldt said she isn’t a strong swimmer, so she called 911 — stunned at what she saw.
“I told them, ‘I believe I just saw a car go into the water, because I’d never, you know — I was like, ‘Man, it’s early in the morning. Am I really seeing this?’ You know," she said.
Knowing what she knows now — including the scale of the tragedy that happened there — she can’t look at Lake Wire the same.
“My husband and I like to go fishing a lot, and as I’m looking at the lake, usually, I’m like, ‘Man, I want to be out there on the water.’ And today, it’s a different feeling. You know, I feel sad when I look at the lake now," she said.
