Samantha Jensen, a mother who is still grieving the loss of her three-year-old daughter Scarlett almost three years ago, has shared her heartbreak. She told the heartbreaking story behind the last picture ever taken of her daughter, which was taken just before she died.
Samantha and her husband went to a wedding on October 7, 2022. Their kids, Scarlett and her younger brother Henry, stayed with their grandmother Jamie in Oldtown, Idaho. Jamie took the kids for ice cream and a walk that afternoon before going home.
Scarlett asked to get out of her stroller and pick flowers when they got back to the family’s driveway. Jamie took a picture of the happy little girl in the woods. Samantha later found out that this was the last picture of her daughter alive.
A tragedy happened a few moments later. A Chevy Tahoe sped down the driveway and hit Jamie and the kids. Scarlett died almost right away, even though she tried so hard to protect them. Henry and Jamie were hurt very badly.
The driver ran away on foot but was caught a few miles away. Later, he was given a 10-year prison sentence for what he did. Samantha said that day changed everything for her family.
Henry was flown to a children’s hospital, where doctors treated him for a broken jaw, collarbone, and spine, as well as six broken ribs and internal injuries. He was in the PICU for a week and wore a full body brace for ten weeks. Jamie also broke a lot of bones, but he got better enough to go home.
Samantha found her mother’s lost phone weeks later. She found Scarlett’s last picture, which was taken just five minutes before her official time of death, while looking through the photos.
Samantha now loves the picture, even though it hurt at first. To her, it shows Scarlett’s last peaceful moments, when she was happy, carefree, and loved. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am to have that picture,” she said.