A TikTok user has gained significant attention for sharing the heartbreaking final moments of her daughter’s life, captured on camera by her mother just before the tragic incident.
Samantha Jensen revealed that her daughter, Scarlett, who ‘loved horses, unicorns, and being a big sister,’ is now remembered in a bittersweet way due to a photo taken just before her passing.
The poignant image was not discovered until weeks later, and Jensen now feels an immense sense of gratitude for it.
In her TikTok post, she wrote: “My mom took this picture at 4:47 pm and my daughter’s time of death was 4:52. My mom didn’t know she was capturing the last moments of her life. This one is really hard for me to look at, just knowing what comes next breaks my heart.”
People have been left feeling emotional after hearing Jensen’s story, with one writing: “Sweet little soul. May she forever rest in peace. May her peace now be that of her family’s. Tragic.”
A second adds: “I can’t even imagine the pain. To say I’m sorry doesn’t seem enough. When I see the wildflowers growing in the spring, I shall think of Scarlett. Rest easy, beautiful girl…”
“I’m so saddened to hear about your family’s loss. She was so beautiful. they didn’t deserve this. RIP princess Scarlett,” agrees a third.
Jensen, who lives in Oldtown, Idaho, shared in an exclusive interview with People that she was attending a wedding on October 7, 2022, while her mother, Jamie, was watching Scarlett and her 2-year-old brother, Henry.
“That afternoon they went to get ice cream and enjoy a walk together,” Jensen explained.
“When they arrived home to our back driveway, Scarlett wanted to get out of the stroller to pick flowers. That’s when my mom took the last picture I have of her alive.”
Jensen described Scarlett as the ‘long-awaited first child, born on New Year’s Day in 2019.
Following Scarlett’s birth, Jensen had three more children: Henry, now 4; Molly, 2; and Rosie, 1.
“Scarlett was the silliest, sweetest little girl,” Jensen said. “She loved horses, unicorns, being a big sister, and the movies Frozen and Spirit. She liked to play hide-and-seek, go to the park, go to preschool, and play soccer.”
“She was supposed to have a soccer game the day after she died and she was so excited to run around and play with her friends,” Jensen continued.
“The absolute joy of her life was her siblings. She loved helping take care of baby Molly and playing with her best friend Henry.”
Now, Jensen reflects on how quiet and empty their home feels without Scarlett, explaining: “The house feels so quiet and empty without her.”
Grieving has its challenges, with some days more difficult than others.
“Some days, it feels like I am drowning, and some days I am able to tread water,” she admitted. “My whole family is putting in a lot of work in therapy and trying to heal as much as possible. My faith in the Lord has saved my life and helped me tremendously in my healing journey.”
Initially, viewing the photo taken just before Scarlett’s death was agonizing for Jensen.
“It was extremely painful for me to look at in the beginning,” she recalled. “How do you come to terms with the existence of a ‘last picture’ of your child?”
However, two years later, she shared: “I am so incredibly thankful to have that photo. It captures the peaceful feeling of her last moments, the beauty she was surrounded by when she took her last breaths. I will forever picture her happy and carefree, picking flowers with her best friend and Meemaw.”
The tragic circumstances surrounding Scarlett’s death unfolded on that fateful day when she and her brother were outside with their grandmother.
As they were walking in the family’s private driveway, a Chevy Tahoe came speeding down the road, striking all three family members.
“My mother was waving her hands, screaming for him to stop and she tried to grab my children to move them out of the way, but he was going too fast,” Jensen recalled. “Scarlett was killed almost instantly, and my mom and Henry were critically injured.”
The suspect fled the scene on foot but was later apprehended a few miles away, local NBC affiliate KHQ reports.
Jensen shared that the driver is currently serving a ten-year prison sentence, with two years credited for time served during the trial.
Meanwhile, Henry was fighting for his life as a result of the hit-and-run incident.
“Henry was life-flighted to the children’s hospital where they found a fractured spine, six broken ribs, a broken jaw, a broken collarbone, a liver laceration, and several other injuries,” she said. “My mom had several broken bones but was able to be released from the hospital.”
Henry spent a week in the PICU before being stable enough to return home, where he wore a full-body brace for ten weeks.
In the weeks following the accident, Jensen learned about the photo her mother had taken.
“My mom lost her phone when they were hit, and it took us a while to find it. When we finally did, I was going through pictures and found that one,” she explained.
“I looked at the timestamp and realized it was only five minutes before her declared time of death, so it must have been taken seconds before the person hit them.”
Jensen has chosen to share her story on social media to help others understand that ‘it is okay to grieve loudly.’
She encourages people to remember their loved ones, saying: “You don’t have to do it in silence. Talk about your people, scream their names loud and proud and never stop sharing their stories.”
Grief, she adds, is a journey filled with ups and downs.
Since her death, a GoFundMe has been set up to help offset the costs of a funeral and the time the family has taken off of work.
As of the time of writing, the fundraiser had raised $66,861.
