A Florida mother’s rage over what she found on her husband’s phone spiraled into a devastating tragedy that left three generations of a family dead, according to police.
Hailey Dempsey, 27, allegedly shot her mother, Valerie DeBoe, 55, inside a Plant City home in the early hours of May 3, then fled on foot with her three young daughters before turning the gun on herself and two of her children, authorities revealed.
The only survivor is Dempsey’s 2-year-old daughter, who was reportedly shot at but missed. She is now in good health and staying with family, police said.
In the days leading up to the shooting, officers had been called to the Dempsey home three times, according to Plant City Police Chief Richard Mills.
The first call on May 1 came after Dempsey allegedly found pornography on her husband Jay’s phone, sparking a verbal fight. Mills said the argument was strictly over 𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒏, not infidelity, and that responding officers saw no signs of violence or criminal behavior.
Later that same day, police were called again when Dempsey asked them to check her car for a tracking device. Nothing was found, according to Mills.
Dempsey then left the property with her children and her mother, staying at a hotel overnight.
The following day, officers accompanied the family back to the home to pick up clothing while her husband was away. Mills noted that the couple later met at a local library for a private conversation.
After the shootings, Jay Dempsey was briefly detained but was ruled out as a suspect following a thorough investigation. He was never arrested or charged.
Mills pointed to “indications of some mental illness involved with the case,” adding that the three-month investigation was one of the most heartbreaking he had seen in his 34-year career.
“It’s absolutely heartbreaking. The worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said, fighting back tears.
The surviving toddler is now with relatives, but the question that haunts everyone is: what could have stopped this spiral before it reached its deadly end?
