We normally think of moms as full of sweetness and gentleness, but never underestimate a mother when danger is about to befall her kids!
When Amanda Mangas saw her son Winston for the first time she was instantly in love. She knew she would do anything to protect him and keep him safe, and she was already imagining their bright future together.
Unfortunately, there was a dark cloud in their lives – Amanda’s ex and Winston’s father, James Ramey.
Ramsey was violent and abusive and, after an altercation where he held Amanda at knifepoint and threatened to kill her after she said she planned to leave him, she got a restraining order against him so he couldn’t harm her or her son.
A little while later, after believing Ramsey was getting help, she asked for the dismissal of the restraining order, saying she wanted her son to have his father in his life. That didn’t last long, though. She soon asked the court to disregard her previous request, saying she feared for her son’s life.
Restraining orders, though, can only do so much, and Ramsey wasn’t one to let a piece of paper get in his way.
Last week he broke into Amanda’s parents’ house and kidnapped Winston, as well as Amanda’s step-mother, Deb Mangas.
Before he left, he shot Amanda in the chest.
Deb was able to contact authorities when Ramsey broke in, but they didn’t arrive before he left with his hostages.
When they did arrive they found Amanda on the floor, wounded. As they approached her she managed to get out two words:
“Where’s Winston?”
With those two words police were able to link Ramsey to the shooting and kidnapping.
They rushed Amanda to the hospital, but sadly she passed away shortly afterward.
Thankfully, though, police were able to quickly issue an Amber Alert because of what Amanda had said and Ramsey and his hostages were found five hours later. Neither Deb nor Winston were harmed.
While this story is a tragic one and Amanda’s family is heartbroken, they say they are proud of her for how her last thoughts were about her son and wanting to know that he was safe.
“She loved her son so much …. my cousin was beautiful inside and out… she would do anything for anyone,” said Amanda’s cousin, Tara Korney Wagner. “She was a amazing person…. xoxo miss you so much.”
While nothing can ever bring Amanda back, Winston will grow up knowing that his mom loved him more than anything else in the world, and that even in death her first thoughts were for him.
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