In a story that seems straight out of a movie script, two Florida inmates have redefined the boundaries of connection and defied the odds to welcome a child into the world—despite never meeting face-to-face.
Daisy Link, 29, and Joan Depaz, 24, engineered an unconventional path to parenthood through a prison air vent, sparking questions about love, ingenuity, and institutional oversight.
Daisy Link and Joan Depaz were inmates at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, when their improbable journey began.
Both were held in isolation, facing charges of murder, and separated by floors within the facility.
Yet, loneliness and desperation found an outlet through the air vents of their cells, where they began to communicate, as first reported by WSVN.
“You knock on the vent, and you can hear the people on different floors,” Link explained. “Being in isolation for so long, you start talking for hours, and it feels like you’re in the same room.”
Over time, their conversations evolved into a romantic connection.
Depaz shared his longing to become a parent, a dream he thought was unattainable given his circumstances. “I always wanted to have a baby,” he said. “And I told her, ‘If I had to choose somebody, it would be you.’ She was like, ‘Yeah, we could do that.’”
An Unorthodox Plan
The couple hatched a plan to make the impossible happen.
Using bedding material, they created a makeshift line between their cells.
Depaz began sending packages containing his semen, wrapped in saran wrap, through the vent system.
He described the process as meticulous: “I put the semen in Saran Wrap every day, like five times a day, for a month straight.”
Link, on her part, used yeast infection applicators to administer the samples.
Despite the inherent challenges and low success rates of such an unconventional method, their determination paid off. After a few attempts, Link became pregnant.
“She’s a miracle baby,” Link said of her daughter, who was born on June 19 at Jackson Memorial Hospital. “I think everything happened for a reason.”
Medical Perspective
The story has captured public fascination, not least because of its biological improbability. Dr. Fernando Akerman, a fertility specialist at the Fertility Center of Miami, explained that while the chances of pregnancy under such circumstances are slim, they are not impossible.
“We estimate their chances were less than five percent,” Akerman said. “This is exceedingly unusual. To my knowledge, I’ve never heard or read anything like this.”
The baby girl, described by both parents as a blessing, is now being raised by Depaz’s mother.
Link and Depaz, held in separate facilities, maintain contact through phone calls and video visits, where they share glimpses of their daughter’s life. “She could be anything,” Link said. “I think she’s going to be something great.”
Depaz, too, remains astonished at their achievement. “Over here, I’m like a celebrity,” he remarked, referencing the media attention the story has garnered.
The extraordinary circumstances surrounding the baby’s conception have raised serious questions about security protocols at TGK.
An internal investigation by Miami-Dade Corrections is ongoing, with officials yet to disclose how such a scenario could unfold undetected.
The incident has also reignited discussions about the conditions in which inmates are held, particularly the isolation that spurred Link and Depaz to forge their connection through unconventional means.
For Link and Depaz, their story is one of resilience and hope in the face of unimaginable odds. While their futures remain uncertain as they await trial for their respective charges, they hold onto the belief that their daughter is destined for greatness.
“I can’t believe it worked,” Link said. “She’s a miracle baby.”
Depaz echoed her sentiments, saying, “Not gonna lie, this is going down in history.”
Whether viewed as a love story or a critique of institutional failings, one thing is certain: the birth of their child is a tale for the ages.
