An inmate in South Florida has revealed how she became pregnant by another inmate without any physical contact.
Daisy Link, who has been held at Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade since 2022 for a conviction of second-degree murder, has managed to conceive a child with a fellow inmate she claims she has never met face-to-face.
Joan Depaz, aged 24, who is also charged with murder, developed a relationship with Link by communicating through the air conditioning vents in their cells.
Link told WSVN that you can “knock” on the vents and hear people from other floors, and after being in isolation for so long, it becomes easy to spend hours conversing with others. She mentioned it felt like she and Depaz were “in the same room.”
Depaz expressed a long-held desire to have a child but realized his charges meant it wouldn’t happen anytime soon. Thus, he proposed the idea to Link.
They devised an unconventional method to make it happen.
Depaz shared how a friend had taught him a way “through the vent,” describing the vent as an L-shaped conduit that allowed objects to be passed from one cell to another. “From her room, she could throw a pen into the vent and it’ll land right into my vent,” he explained.
Link elaborated on how they established a line made from bedding material to facilitate the exchange.
Depaz deposited his semen in plastic and sent it through the makeshift line multiple times a day for about a month. Link used yeast infection applicators to inseminate herself.
Despite never having physical contact, Link became pregnant, which Depaz likened to the “Virgin Mary.”
A paternity test confirmed that Depaz is indeed the father of Link’s child.
Although it seems implausible, and Link’s mother is skeptical of the story, Dr. Fernando Akerman, medical director of the Fertility Center of Miami, acknowledged that such a pregnancy is possible. He estimated the chances were less than five percent but affirmed it was not impossible.
Link gave birth on June 19, and the baby now resides with Depaz’s mother. Both parents are in separate jails but can see their daughter through video calls.
The Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center stated, “The care, safety and rehabilitation of all those in our custody remains our top priority. And while there is no evidence of sexual battery against our inmate at this time, the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy are currently under active investigation.”