A mother and her two young children were gunned down in the street while the father – who was initially detained nearby by police – has vanished after being released due to lack of evidence.
Hailey Dempsey, 28, ran half a mile with her daughter, 4, and four-month-old baby after fleeing her house after her mother, Valerie Deboe, 55, was shot dead.
Residents on West Tever Street in Plant City – near Tampa – heard gunshots about 7am on Sunday and found the family in the bushes next door.
Hailey was still alive when paramedics arrived, but died in hospital. A third child was rescued at the scene unharmed, police said.
Plant City Police later raided the family home on North Burton Street and found the body of Deboe, who had suffered a single gunshot wound.
Hailey’s husband Jay Dempsey, 27, was detained nearby and his arrest photographed by nearby residents.
However, neighbors said he was released due to lack of evidence. Police confirmed no one was in custody in relation to the murders.
Hailey Dempsey, 28, was found alongside the bodies of her daughter, 4, and four-month-old baby on Sunday morning. Her husband Jay Dempsey, 27, was detained by police but released
Hailey was still alive when paramedics arrived, but died in hospital
The couple’s four-year-old daughter (pictured at her birth) was killed alongside her baby sibling and mother
A neighbor, John Czarniak, who lives next to the family’s house where Deboe was found, said the Dempsey and his wife got into a heated argument on Friday.
Hailey called police who arrived at the home but left soon after.
Then he spotted Dempsey putting on a bulletproof vest and loading a large duffel bag into his car on Saturday night.
After Dempsey was released from custody, he left town and later deleted his social media pages.
‘He came walking out of the woods at 3am (on Monday), got in his dead wife’s car and drove off,’ Czarniak said.
Hailey was mourned by friends who said she was a great mother and she and Dempsey were recently discussing their daughter’s birthday party.
Dempsey is an avid shooter with numerous photos of him firing guns and posing with rifles on his now-deleted Facebook page.
Dempsey was detained nearby the family home and his arrest photographed by nearby residents. He was later released and neighbors said he left town
Dempsey is an avid shooter with numerous photos of him firing guns and posing with rifles on his now-deleted Facebook page
Dempsey is one half of local company 2 College Brother Moving & Storage and heavily involved in F3 Nation – a network of free, peer-led workouts for men.
The father-of-three was one half of local company 2 College Brother Moving & Storage and heavily involved in F3 Nation – a network of free, peer-led workouts for men.
Police called for anyone with surveillance or doorbell camera footage of North Burton Street, West Tever Street, or the surrounding area between 5.30am and 7am on Sunday to contact them.
‘The Plant City Police Department knows of no credible threats that leads to a belief that there is a threat to the public at this time,’ police said.
‘The investigation is very active, searching for leads and clues that allow for forward progress and proper resolution in this case.’
