‘I just couldn’t fathom it’: Woman raises money for toddler daughter of her best friend who was killed

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV/Gray News) - A Florida woman has stepped up to help the child of a woman who was found dead in her home on Saturday.

The Live Oak Police Department and Florida Department of Law Enforcement are investigating the death of 30-year-old Blake Reaves.

At around 3 p.m. on Saturday, Live Oak Police were dispatched to the Dalton Apartment Complex where Reaves was found with serious injuries.

Suwannee County Paramedics responded to render aid, but Reaves was pronounced dead on the scene. Police say foul play is suspected.

“The whole situation is heartbreaking,” Reaves’ best friend of 20 years, Sara Babcock. She described the moment she found out her best friend was no longer living.

“It was like a bomb went off and I couldn’t breathe,” Babcock said. “I just couldn’t fathom it.”

Babcock said she was in Live Oak with Reaves celebrating her 30th birthday just days before she died. Reaves’ friend didn’t think she’d be spending her 30th birthday telling WCTV about her favorite memories with her best friend who is now gone.

“She was the funniest person in the world. Like, she was legitimately hilarious, she could’ve had her own Netflix special. She was so funny,” Babcock said.

Police say they also found a child unattended upon arrival at the scene. Babcock says it was Reaves’ daughter 3-year-old daughter Ella, and that Ella was Reaves’ entire world.

Reaves was a single mom, and now Ella is in the care of her grandparents and great-grandparents. Babcock said she wants to make sure Ella has everything she needs.

That’s why she started raising funds through GoFundMe. The money gathered will go towards supporting her friend’s daughter and creating a trust fund that Ella can access when she turns 18. Some of the money will also go towards a memorial for Reaves.

Stewart Williams, who worked alongside the single mother, said Reaves will be missed dearly. The pair spent eight years together at The Bedrock Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. He said she made a lasting impact on his life.

“She had a great heart. I mean she didn’t meet a stranger, I can tell you that because I was a stranger when I met her, and she made me feel at home,” Williams said. “She was a great person, I’m really going to miss her.”

Another coworker, Jolene Green, said Reaves was generous and supportive.

“She always came to work ready to take care of the residents, ready to jump in wherever she was needed,” Green said. “Everything always revolved around her residents, co-workers and her daughter.”

You can click here to donate towards supporting Ella.

Police ask anyone with information relevant to the investigation to contact Live Oak Police at (386) 362-7463 or FDLE at (386) 330-2840.

Copyright 2024 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.