A law-enforcement pursuit of a vehicle ended in a head-on collision in Lake County, troopers said. The drivers of both vehicles died, and now troopers say the suspect was pregnant.

  • 2 women killed in head-on collision in Lake County
  • Deputies were pursuing woman who ran stop sign
  • The suspect was pregnant

Investigators with Florida Highway Patrol said the medical examiner discovered her pregnancy.

For miles, deputies pursued 27-year-old Mylynda Martinez after they said she ran a stop sign. She was leaving a known drug house.

The chase ended on County Road 33 in Mascotte when that car slammed into an SUV.

Flowers for the other driver who died are now also a grim reminder of the unborn life lost.

A tire, bumper and a headlight remained on the side of County Road 33 on Friday as FHP investigators took photos and measurements.

“Seeing if there’s anything we missed while we were here at night," Cpl. Kris Neutzling of Florida Highway Patrol said.

Investigators don’t know why Martinez was fleeing law enforcement. Records show she has a lengthy criminal record of at least 24 arrests in Lake County for drugs, prostitution and several traffic violations.

But whatever the reason this time, by leading officers on a multi-city car chase, an innocent woman’s life was lost. Kimberly King, 46, was hit head-on by Martinez.

“An innocent victim just traveling on her way home and got caught in this," Neutzling said.

FHP said Martinez dodged three different stop sticks throughout the county.

Investigators said it is too early to tell if the fatal collision happened because Martinez tried to avoid Mascotte police’s stop sticks or because she ran over them.

Two tires on Martinez’s car were affected, but FHP said they are still investigating whether that came from the stop sticks or the impact from the crash.

“It’s just sad that her family and friends -- they’re gonna drive past here everyday, and that will be a constant reminder of what happened," Neutzling said.

“She was just so supportive for you to do the right thing and better your life.  She believes in people that sometimes don’t even believe in themselves.  She gave you that encouragement to help you see something in yourself that you don’t always see,” said Haleema Sykes, King's friend.

FHP said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the local police departments to deploy the stop sticks. Whether they were used properly in the pursuit is still under investigation by FDLE.

Lake County is reviewing dash camera video and conducting an internal review.