Plant City Police Chief Richard Mills Jr. provided an update during a press conference Thursday, August 13, officially closing a three-month investigation into the May 3 deaths of a 55-year-old grandmother, a 4-year-old girl and a 4-month-old girl. Authorities determined the case was a murder-suicide involving 27-year-old, Hailey Dempsey.
Mills said that, as chief, he wanted to protect the integrity of the investigation until all evidence had been collected and reviewed so investigators could reach a definitive conclusion.
According to investigators, Hailey fatally shot her mother inside her Plant City home before leaving the residence with her three children. Ring doorbell footage and security cameras from neighbors, along with cooperation from residents, helped investigators piece together her movements through the neighborhood. At one point, the mother knocked on a resident’s door asking for help, according to WFLA News. When the resident went to get her partner and returned, Hailey had already left.
She later fatally shot her 4-month-old and 4-year-old daughters and attempted to shoot her 2-year-old daughter before dying by suicide. WFLA news reports that a responding officer found the surviving child crying and covered in blood and carried her away from the scene. She was taken to a hospital, where medical staff determined that she had no apparent physical injuries.
Hailey’s husband, Jay Dempsey, was traveling back to Plant City from Lakeland when the shootings occurred. Mills said the husband has been cleared of wrongdoing and cooperated with investigators, emphasizing that investigations of this nature takes time.
Authorities also detailed a series of interactions between the couple in the days leading up to the killings. Police were called to the couple’s home three times, twice on Friday and once on Saturday, following an argument.
Images of the three victims in the murder-suicide case; Courtesy of Facebook and GoFundMe
Following the initial police response, officers remained on standby while Dempsey went to stay at a hotel with her mother and children. On Friday, she contacted police again because she believed a tracking device had been placed on her vehicle. Officers checked the vehicle and found no tracking device, and Dempsey and the children remained at the hotel that night.
On Saturday, police were called back because Dempsey wanted officers to stand by while she returned to the home to retrieve additional clothing. She also met with her husband, Jay, at a local library that day for a one-on-one conversation. Her mother and three children were also present.
Mills said the argument involved possible infidelity and pornographic material Hailey reportedly found on her husband’s phone, which was part of the circumstances investigators examined.
Mills said there were firearms inside the home because Jay was a gun owner. Following the incident, he removed the firearms from the residence and took them to a friend’s home, believing investigators would locate them during the investigation.
Investigators also considered possible signs of mental illness and raised concerns that the mother may have experienced postpartum psychosis. Mills stressed, however, that investigators did not want to rely heavily on those speculation and instead based their conclusions on the evidence gathered throughout the three-month investigation.
Mills said Thursday that the surviving child is now with family and is in good health. He declined to provide additional details about where she’s staying out of respect for the family’s privacy.
The chief also addressed the broader mental health crisis and the importance of resources and crisis intervention. He said the city of Tampa Bay is exploring the possibility of establishing a satellite mental health office in Plant City to help address the community’s mental health needs.
