Plant City woman shot, killed mom, 2 children before turning gun on herself: Police

A Plant City woman shot and killed her mother and two of her young children before dying by suicide in early May, according to the Plant City Police Department.

admin August 14, 2026 4 minutes read

PLANT CITY, Fla. – A Plant City woman shot and killed her mother and two of her young children before dying by suicide in early May, according to the Plant City Police Department.

Plant City murder-suicide investigation

What we know:

Plant City Police Department investigators determined four deaths from the early morning hours of May 3 were the result of a murder-suicide. Police said 27-year-old Hailey Dempsey shot and killed her mother inside their home at 911 North Burton St. Her mother, who lived in Clearwater, had been staying with the family.

Police said Hailey Dempsey gathered her three children and left the home on foot around 5 a.m. Doorbell camera footage provided by the community showed her walking and knocking on a door, but she left before the resident returned to the door. Shortly before 7 a.m., Plant City Police Chief Richard Mills Jr.said she concealed herself behind a clump of trees in the front yard at 303 West Tever Street. It was there that she shot and killed her 4-year-old and 4-month-old daughters, attempted to shoot her 2-year-old daughter but missed, and then died by suicide.

Lakeland alibi clears husband

What we don’t know:

Mills said it remains unclear why Hailey Dempsey shot her mother and children, though he noted indications of mental illness.

Detectives say she may have been suffering from postpartum psychosis. According to the incident report, before the shooting, she’d texted her husband admitting she was having difficulty with their children at home alone, and she had a “nervous breakdown.”

Police detained her husband, Jay Dempsey, on the afternoon of May 3 when he arrived at the home while officers executed a search warrant. Authorities thoroughly investigated his whereabouts and conclusively established he was traveling on I-4 back to Plant City from a friend’s house in Lakeland when the shootings occurred. Jay Dempsey was eliminated as a suspect, was never arrested and was never charged.

Police department response timeline

Timeline:

Officers said they responded to the Dempsey home twice two days prior to the killings. On two days before the shooting, police said they responded to a verbal argument regarding infidelity and porn found on a phone, but officers noted no violence or criminal activity. Police said they stood by while Hailey Dempsey gathered her things and left with her mother and children to stay at a hotel.

Later that day, officers responded again when Hailey Dempsey believed a tracking device was on her car, but officers found none.

On the day before the shooting, police were called back when she returned to the home to get more clothes while her husband was away. Later that day, she and her husband spoke at a local library, according to the Plant City police chief.

Forensic evidence and guns

The backstory:

Mills said Jay Dempsey owned several legal firearms and expressed concern to police that officers or the ATF would take them, even donning a body-armored vest inside the home to collect his guns. Officers confirmed other family-owned guns were in the home, and a firearm recovered at the scene was matched by the ATF to bullets found at the crime scenes.

The complex investigation involved processing multiple crime scenes, examining hundreds of pieces of evidence and analyzing extensive digital records. Chief Mills emphasized that there was no ongoing threat to the community and highlighted the necessity of mental health resources.

Crisis Center of Tampa Bay response

What they’re saying:

After the news conference Thursday, the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay said it is considering adding a satellite office in Plant City to increase its reach throughout Hillsborough County.

“I think one of the things it shows is, no matter what the situation, or where they live, or whatever their circumstances might be, struggles with mental health are universal. Whether it’s somebody’s religious background, ethnicity, or income, it impacts all of our society,” said Ken Gibson with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay.

“We definitely encourage people to talk about their feelings and talk with somebody they trust,” said Gibson. “If you’re in therapy, it may be a good time to reach out to their therapist, and we’re here 24 hours a day at 211. We have people here trained in emotional support and that’s a resource anybody can tap into.”