When an Idaho mother left two of her children in their grandmother’s care, no one anticipated anything going wrong. Yet, upon her return, she had to rush to the hospital after losing one child and finding the other in critical condition.
On October 7, 2022, tragedy struck Samantha Jensen and her family when she left her two young children with their grandmother. Before the life-changing event occurred, Samantha’s mother took the last photo of her granddaughter unaware that disaster was about to strike.
Over Samantha’s TikTok post and during a recent interview, the mother from Oldtown, Idaho, explained how she lost her daughter, three-year-old Scarlett, in a matter of minutes. On the day of the incident, she had been out of town attending a wedding, leaving her mother in charge of the children, including two-year-old Henry.
That afternoon, the children’s grandmother, Jamie took her grandchildren out for ice cream and a walk. Upon returning, they used the back driveway, where Scarlett asked to leave the stroller to pick flowers.
The last photo of Scarlett was taken at that moment, as she walked along the private driveway. Without warning, a driver experiencing a “mental breakdown” veered off course in a Chevy Tahoe and headed down the driveway, striking Jamie and the children.
Samantha recounted how her mother frantically waved her arms and screamed for the driver to stop. She even tried to pull the children to safety, but the car was moving too fast. Scarlett died almost instantly, while Jamie and Henry were left critically injured.
The driver fled the scene on foot but was apprehended a few miles away. Jamie and Henry remained lying injured until a neighbor heard Jamie calling for help and came outside.
When Samantha’s plane landed, police officers met with her and took her to the hospital. She was rushed there because her son’s condition was uncertain. Fortunately, she found Henry fighting for his life after being airlifted to a children’s hospital.
The little boy suffered a broken jaw and collarbone, along with other injuries. Jamie, though less severely hurt, sustained many broken bones but was eventually released from the hospital. Henry spent a week in the pediatric ICU before becoming stable enough to return home, where he remained in a full-body brace for ten weeks.
It took months for both Jamie and Henry to recover physically. On the anniversary of the child’s death, Samantha shared two images of herself sitting by Henry’s hospital bed while he wore a neck brace.
The parent turned to her faith, expressing gratitude to God for the miracles that allowed her more time with Henry. The mother was happy and thankful for the opportunity to still have time with her son.
On that fateful day, Samantha’s mother captured an image of Scarlett while she walked beside her brother, Henry. Samantha later shared this heartbreaking image on TikTok on October 13, 2024.
Scarlett and Henry Jensen walking in the driveway of their home in Oldtown, Idaho, on October 7, 2022 | Source: Facebook/Sam Jensen
The bittersweet picture shows the children walking down a dirt road with their backs to the camera. The parent revealed that Jamie took the photo at 4:47 p.m., just minutes before Scarlett’s time of death at 4:52 p.m.
Still mourning, Samantha confessed, “My mom didn’t know she was capturing the last moments of her life.” In the post, set to Alek Olsen’s “Someday I’ll Get It,” Scarlett’s mother admitted how difficult it was to look at the image, adding, “…Just knowing what comes next breaks my heart.”
The post was captioned, “Life isn’t fair and I really miss my baby tonight.” It actually took weeks before she realized her mother had captured Scarlett’s final moments.
Jamie lost her phone during the hit-and-run incident, and it took some time to recover it. When they eventually found the phone, Samantha browsed the photos and discovered the memorable image.
After checking the timestamp, she realized it was taken just five minutes before Scarlett’s death. Though the tragedy occurred over two years ago, Samantha posted another video of Scarlett walking just a week before sharing the last image of her daughter.
Scarlett, born on New Year’s Day in 2019, was Samantha and her husband’s “long-awaited first child.” Besides Henry, the couple shares two more children: Molly, two, and Rosie, one.
Samantha fondly remembered how silly and sweet her first child had been. Scarlett loved unicorns, horses, and the movies “Spirit” and “Frozen.” She also cherished her role as a big sister, enjoyed going to the park and preschool, and loved playing hide-and-seek and soccer.
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The day after her death, Scarlett was supposed to attend a soccer game and had been excited to run around and play with her friends. She found joy in her siblings and loved helping to care for Molly, alongside her best friend, Henry.
Two days after the anniversary of Scarlett’s death, Samantha took to Facebook to honor her daughter’s memory. She shared a post written three days after Scarlett passed, along with many photos of the little girl. In the post, she revealed that Scarlett’s middle name was “June.”
At that time, Samantha expressed, “The pain we feel from losing you is indescribable. I feel it deep in my bones and in every inch of my body.” Her emotional tribute continued, highlighting her late daughter’s personality and the love she once brought into their lives.
Samantha promised to keep Scarlett’s memory alive by continuing to talk about her, ensuring Henry and Molly would always remember their older sister.
The man responsible for Scarlett’s death is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for vehicular homicide, with two years subtracted for time served during court proceedings.
