The story of a ‘miracle’ baby born from two inmates who never met in person has captured attention. The unusual situation unfolded at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade, where Daisy Link, accused of second-degree murder in 2022, developed an unexpected bond with fellow prisoner Joan DePaz.
The two inmates communicated through air-conditioning vents in their cells, establishing a nightly routine of conversations to pass the time. Their communication evolved to include sending letters via strings made from bedsheets.
DePaz took drastic measures, creating a deposit of semen wrapped in plastic, which he sent through the makeshift line five times a day for a month. Link then used yeast infection applicators to insert it, as she recounted to WSVN.
As a result, the 30-year-old became pregnant and later gave birth to a daughter, now reportedly living with DePaz’s mother. Link maintains contact with DePaz who has been transferred to another facility, and sees their daughter through video calls.
Due to her guilty verdict for the 2022 shooting of her partner Pedro Jimenez, Link is unlikely to see her daughter in person. The incident was ruled a second-degree murder despite her defense’s argument of self-defense following alleged domestic abuse.
In court, Link expressed, “That’s the father of my kids…It’s not like I didn’t love him, I did,” during her testimony. However, the jury in South Florida reached a quick verdict.
The unusual conception raised questions, but Dr. Fernando Akerman, medical director at the Fertility Center of Miami, confirmed the remote possibility of pregnancy. “We estimate that probably their chances were less than five percent, but that is not to say that the chances were zero. So this is absolutely a case that is exceedingly unusual. To my knowledge I’ve never heard or read anything like this,” he explained.