A South Florida inmate has shared how she ended up pregnant by another inmate without ever meeting him face-to-face.
Daisy Link, currently held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade since 2022 for a second-degree murder conviction, has become pregnant by another inmate. Despite the two never having met in person, they developed a relationship through the air vents in their cells.
Joan Depaz, 24, who is also held on murder charges, and Link first began communicating via the air conditioning vents in their respective cells.
Link explained to WSVN that the vents allow inmates to “knock” and “hear people from different floors,” adding that being isolated for so long meant spending hours talking with others through the vents. It felt, she said, like talking to someone in the same room.
Depaz mentioned that he had always wanted a child but understood that his charges meant he wouldn’t be able to have one for a long time. He asked Link if she would be interested in trying for a baby, despite their unique circumstances.
Thinking creatively, the pair found a way to make it work using the vent system.
Depaz described how he learned a method from a friend that involved the vent system. “Because the vents are shaped like an L, it drops right into my vent, and from her room, she could throw a pen into the vent, and it would land in mine,” he explained.
Link added, “We figured out a way to drop the line. It was made from bedding material.”
Depaz confessed that he “deposited semen five times a day for a month,” rolling it up like a cigarette and attaching it to a line they created through the vents.
Link then used yeast infection applicators to “administer” the semen, which led to her becoming pregnant, despite the couple never having touched in person. Depaz likened the situation to the Virgin Mary’s immaculate conception.
A paternity test confirmed that Depaz is indeed the father of Link’s child.
Though the story seems highly improbable—especially with Link’s mother initially doubting the tale—Dr. Fernando Akerman, the medical director at the Fertility Center of Miami, verified that such a pregnancy is not entirely impossible. He explained, “The chances were likely less than five percent, but it’s not to say it was zero. This is an exceedingly unusual case.”
Link gave birth to the child on June 19, and the baby now lives with Depaz’s mother. The parents are currently housed in different jails and can only visit their daughter via video calls.
In response to the unusual situation, the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center released a statement saying, “The care, safety, and rehabilitation of all those in our custody remains our top priority.
While no evidence of sexual battery has been found, the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy are under active investigation.”
