It was April 13, 2024, when tragedy struck — an act of violence that would forever change the lives of those who witnessed it and the families affected. In the blink of an eye, the shopping mall became a place of unimaginable horror. A man, 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, armed with a knife, walked into the mall and began attacking people indiscriminately.
The chaos was immediate. Panic spread as people screamed, trying to flee, trying to protect themselves. Among those who became targets was Ashlee Goods, a 36-year-old mother, shopping with her 9-month-old daughter. As she and her baby were approached by the attacker, the unimaginable happened — both mother and child were stabbed.
The words she spoke in her final breath, the love and sacrifice she conveyed, would be remembered by that stranger for the rest of his life.
“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing,” the man later recounted. “The mother, she was in pain, bloodied, but she gave her baby to me. She said, ‘Please, take care of her.’ Then she collapsed.”
Ashlee died at the scene, her body failing her as the world around her crumbled. Her daughter, still in the arms of the stranger, was rushed to safety. The terror in the shopping center was indescribable as people rushed to call for help, but it was too late for Ashlee. The mother who had once posted a picture just hours before, holding her baby in her arms and smiling brightly, was gone. The mother who lived for her family, who would give everything for her daughter, would never see another day. Continue reading…
