JEFFERSON COUNTY, OH – In a chilling 911 recording, a young girl’s voice pierced the tense air, pleading with her father during a standoff with police. The incident unfolded on Nov. 11, when Charles Ryan Alexander, 43, took his daughter, Oaklynn, from her grandmother’s home, setting off a chain of events that would end in tragedy.
The abduction led to a statewide Amber Alert and a police pursuit, ultimately cornering Alexander in a parking lot after officers disabled his car. With a gun in hand, he threatened to harm both himself and his daughter, as the Medina County Sheriff’s Office reported.
The haunting 911 call captures Oaklynn’s desperate cries, “I don’t want to go to heaven today,” as she implored her father to spare her life. Her pleas, filled with innocence and fear, echoed the gravity of the situation as her father shouted threats at both the police and her mother, Ashley.
Amid the chaos, Charles Alexander demanded to speak with Ashley, expressing regret over the situation. His words were interspersed with Oaklynn’s heartbreaking questions about their fate, as she asked, “How do you know we’re going to heaven?”
Dispatchers worked tirelessly to de-escalate the situation, urging Alexander not to make any irreversible decisions. Their efforts, however, were overshadowed by Oaklynn’s continued cries of “I don’t want to!”—a testament to the terror she was experiencing.
The standoff reached a devastating conclusion when police fired upon Alexander, who was pronounced dead at the scene. Oaklynn was safely recovered but faced the trauma of witnessing her father’s death.
In response to this tragic event, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to support Oaklynn and her mother. The initiative aims to cover mental health costs and other expenses as the family navigates this difficult time, with nearly $8,000 collected by Sunday.
This incident highlights the urgent need for effective intervention strategies in custody disputes to protect the well-being of vulnerable children caught in the crossfire.