A tragic incident unfolded as a mother and her two young children were shot in broad daylight, while the father, initially held by authorities, has since disappeared after being released for lack of evidence.
Hailey Dempsey, 28, fled her home with her four-year-old daughter and four-month-old infant, running half a mile after her mother, Valerie Deboe, 55, was fatally shot.
In Plant City, near Tampa, residents of West Tever Street were startled by gunfire around 7 a.m. on Sunday. They discovered the family hiding in the bushes of a neighboring property.
Although paramedics found Hailey alive, she succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. Fortunately, a third child was found at the scene unharmed, according to police reports.
Authorities later searched the family’s residence on North Burton Street, where they discovered Deboe’s body with a single gunshot wound.
Hailey’s husband, 27-year-old Jay Dempsey, was apprehended nearby, with locals capturing his arrest on camera. However, he was subsequently released due to insufficient evidence.
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.’
