A tragic family shooting in Plant City, Florida, has left several people dead after a 27-year-old woman shot her mother before fleeing with her three children and killing two of them.
The woman, identified as Hailey Dempsey shot her 55-year-old mother, Valerie DeBoe, in the early hours of May 3 at the family’s home in Plant City, in the Tampa Bay area.
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According to police, Dempsey later fled the property on foot with her three young daughters. She killed her 4-year-old and 4-month-old daughters before shooting at her 2-year-old daughter and missing. She then turned the gun on herself in an apparent suicide attempt.
The Plant City Police Department disclosed further details about the case on August 13, following a three-month investigation into the devastating incident.
Police Chief Richard Mills said the events appeared to have begun after an argument between Dempsey and her mother on May 1.
According to investigators, Dempsey had discovered pornography on the cellphone of her husband, Jay, which led to a heated argument between the couple.
Mills said the dispute was not connected to an allegation of infidelity.
“It wasn’t cheating or anything like that, evidently it was just porn, and they were having an argument over that,”
He added:
“I think that’s what everything stemmed from.”
Police were called to the Dempseys’ home three times in the two days before the fatal shootings.
When officers first arrived, Mills said they spoke with the couple but found no evidence at the time to suggest that violence or criminal conduct had occurred.
According to the police chief, Dempsey later contacted authorities again and asked officers to check whether a tracking device had been placed on her vehicle. Officers searched but did not find one.
Following the earlier incidents, Dempsey left the property with her children and her mother, who had been visiting from Clearwater.
The family spent the night at a hotel before returning to the residence the following day.
Police were again called to accompany them to the home so Dempsey could collect clothing while her husband was away.
Mills also revealed that investigators found indications that Dempsey and her husband later met at a local library, where they had a private, one-on-one conversation.
Dempsey’s husband was detained after the killings as investigators examined whether he had any connection to the deaths.
However, after police thoroughly investigated his possible involvement, authorities ruled him out as a suspect. He was never arrested or charged in connection with the killings.
Mills said investigators also found indications that mental illness may have played a role in the tragedy.
The police chief described the investigation as one that required considerable patience, diligence and precision because of the circumstances surrounding the case.
Speaking about the aftermath, Mills became emotional as he described the scene investigators encountered.