Authorities in Plant City are conducting a major investigation into a devastating shooting that left four people dead, including two young children, in what officials are calling a possible quadruple homicide.
According to police, the victims include 28-year-old Hailey Dempsey, her two children — a 4-month-old infant and a 4-year-old child — and the children’s grandmother, a 55-year-old woman. All four victims died from gunshot wounds.
A third child was also found inside the home and was not physically harmed.
Officers responded to a disturbance on May 3 in the 300 block of West Tever Street, where they discovered the two children deceased inside the residence. Hailey Dempsey was also found suffering from gunshot injuries and was transported to a hospital, where she later died. The children’s grandmother was later located at a separate residence connected to the investigation and was also found deceased.
Police have identified Jay Dempsey as a person of interest in the case. Officials said he was initially detained but later released as investigators continued to gather evidence.
Authorities believe he may have been in a wooded area before later retrieving a vehicle connected to the case and leaving the area. His current whereabouts have not been confirmed.
Investigators are asking the public to review any surveillance or doorbell footage from the morning of May 3, particularly between 5:30 a.m. and 7:00 a.m., that may show relevant activity.
The Plant City Police Department continues to urge anyone with information to come forward, stressing that even small details could be critical to the investigation.
The case remains active as detectives work to determine motive and fully reconstruct the events leading up to the tragedy, which has left the Plant City community in shock.
