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Update expected in Plant City quadruple deaths
In spring, four members of the same family were found dead in what appeared to be two separate shootings and on Thursday the Plant City Police Department is expected to give an update as no arrest has been announced. FOX 13’s Kellie Cowan reports.
PLANT CITY, Fla. - Plant City police are expected to provide an update Thursday morning on a disturbing case that left four members of the same family dead and a fifth child alive.
Plant City police investigation
What we know:
Police have scheduled a news conference for 10 a.m. to discuss the investigation.
On May 3, 28-year-old Hailey Dempsey, her 4-month-old baby and her 4-year-old child were found outside a home on West Tevor Street. All three had suffered gunshot wounds.
Hailey's mother, who lived nearby, was also found shot to death inside her home.
Police also found a 2-year-old child with Hailey and the slain children. The child was distressed but alive.
Attention quickly turned to Hailey's husband and the children's father, Jay Dempsey.
Domestic disturbance report
The backstory:
Detectives learned that two days before the shootings, Hailey had called police over a domestic disturbance involving her husband.
Neighbors also reported seeing Jay acting suspiciously before the killings. One neighbor said they saw him putting on a bulletproof vest and loading a large duffel bag into the trunk of his car the night before the shootings.
According to a warrant filed by Plant City police, surveillance cameras captured Hailey and the children walking through the neighborhood around 5:45 a.m. They knocked on at least one door and spent time in a garage. Detectives note the children were crying.
Police brought Jay Dempsey in for questioning but released him the same day. No arrest has been announced.
Attorney statement on suspects
What they're saying:
Patrick Bowler Courtney, an attorney representing Dempsey, says information he received during proceedings involving the surviving child indicates police do not believe there are any living suspects in the case.
Courtney provided FOX with the following statement in full:
"In discussions surrounding the dismissal of the shelter petition I was advised that the Department of Children and Families had been briefed by Plant City Police Department detectives that there were ‘no living suspects’ in the case."
A shelter petition is a request asking a court to temporarily place a child in protective custody, typically while the Department of Children and Families investigates whether it is safe for the child to remain with or return to a parent or caregiver.
The statement that there are "no living suspects" could mean investigators believe whoever was responsible for the shootings is among the four people who died, or that investigators identified another potential suspect who has since died. Police have not publicly confirmed either scenario.
Unanswered shooting details
What we don't know:
Plant City police have not publicly identified who they believe carried out the shootings or explained why investigators reportedly believe there are no living suspects.
It is also unclear what evidence led detectives to that conclusion.
The Source: Information in this article comes from Plant City police records and warrants, interviews with neighbors, and a statement provided by Jay Dempsey's attorney, Patrick Bowler Courtney. FOX is awaiting additional information from Plant City police at Thursday morning's news conference.