Three months after a deadly Plant City shooting left a grandmother, a mother and two young children dead, police have concluded their investigation and determined the case was a murder-suicide
Plant City Police Chief Richard Mills Jr. provided new details during a press conference, outlining what investigators learned about the days leading up to the May 3 deaths, Haley Dempsey's movements that morning and the investigation that ultimately ruled out her husband as a suspect.
Here is the timeline of what police said happened:
May 1
Plant City police responded to the Dempsey residence after Haley Dempsey and her husband, Jay Dempsey, had a verbal argument.
According to Mills, there was no indication of physical violence or criminal activity. The argument involved pornography that Haley had found on one of Jay's phones.
Haley's mother was staying at the residence at the time.
Officers remained at the home while Haley, her mother and her three children gathered their belongings and left to stay at a hotel.
Later that day, Haley contacted police because she believed a tracking device had been placed on her vehicle. Officers searched the vehicle but did not find a tracking device.
May 2
Police returned to the residence to assist Haley, her mother and the children while they retrieved additional clothing.
Jay was not at the residence and again, no indication of physical violence or criminal activity.
Investigators later determined Haley, Jay, her mother and the three children met at a local library.
5:35 a.m., May 3
Police said surveillance and Ring doorbell footage showed Haley leaving the residence at 5:35 a.m. with her three children.
Investigators determined she had already shot and killed her mother inside the residence before leaving with the children.
She traveled eastbound through the neighborhood along West Saunders Street and West Keever Street.
Investigators used multiple security cameras and Ring doorbell recordings to track her movements.
At one point, Haley approached a residence and asked for help.
According to police, the resident went to get her husband, but when they returned, Haley and the children were gone.
Ring camera footage showed two of the children crying during the encounter.
Investigators were able to track Haley and the children from approximately 5:35 a.m. until 6:01 a.m.
Around 6:40 a.m.
A witness reported seeing Haley walking along the roadway.
Police continued piecing together her movements using surveillance footage and witness statements.
6:57 a.m.
Police determined Haley shot and killed her 4-year-old and 4-month-old daughters behind bushes in the front yard of a residence on West Tever Street.
A nearby security camera captured the sound of four gunshots, according to the information provided by police.
Haley then attempted to shoot her 2-year-old daughter but missed before turning the firearm on herself.
A nearby security camera captured the sound of the four gunshots. Mills described the recording as “boom, boom, boom, boom,” with the shots occurring one after another.
According to Mills, Haley and the children did not have identification, cell phones or other personal information with them when they were found.
“When we found them, there was no identification, no driver license, no phones, it was just the gun,” Mills said. “So she left the house with the gun and the girls and that was it. This played into account on why it took us so long to identify her and then backtrack to the house.”
7:08 a.m.
Police were dispatched following a report of gunshots heard in the area.
According to the information provided by police, officers responded but did not initially locate the victims.
7:42 a.m.
Police were still working to determine the source of the reported gunshots, according to the incident timeline.
7:59 a.m.
The Plant City Police Department received another call from a witness who reported finding multiple people with gunshot wounds and a young child crying.
During the 911 call, the woman told the dispatcher she had heard a child crying and heard gunshots earlier that morning while she was out walking her dog.
The dispatcher could hear the child crying during the call.
The caller became emotional as she told the dispatcher that a child, mother and baby were dead.
Around 8 a.m.
The first Plant City police officer arrived at the scene.
According to the police report information, Haley was still alive and she and the 2-year-old received emergency medical aid.
While moving Haley, officers discovered the 4-month-old underneath her. The infant had also suffered a fatal gunshot wound.
After removing the 2-year-old from the scene, officers located the 4-year-old.
Haley was transported to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries. The surviving 2-year-old was not injured.
Police said the child is now safe and with family.
Later May 3
Police executed a court-authorized search warrant at the Dempsey residence.
Jay was detained when he returned to the residence from a friend's home in Lakeland.
He cooperated with investigators and was interviewed.
Police said detectives reviewed his cellphone data and other evidence to establish his whereabouts.
Investigators ultimately determined Jay was traveling from Lakeland back toward Plant City on Interstate 4 at the time Haley killed the children and herself.
Jay was never arrested or charged in connection with the investigation.
Three-month investigation
Plant City police spent the following three months processing hundreds of pieces of evidence, including digital evidence, DNA, forensic evidence, surveillance footage and witness interviews.
Mills said investigators had to consider every possibility at the beginning of the homicide investigation and follow each potential lead.
The department ultimately determined Jay was not physically at the scene when the killings occurred. However, investigators continued examining the evidence to determine whether he had any involvement in the incident. Mills said detectives found no evidence that Jay was involved and determined he was returning to Plant City early that morning to attend Morning Mass.
Police said digital evidence, interviews and other aspects of the investigation indicated that mental illness was involved in the case. However, investigators declined to provide additional details about Haley’s mental health or speculate about a motive.
“The department’s goal was not to reach the fastest conclusion, but to reach the correct and truthful conclusion,” Mills said.
Police said the evidence available throughout the investigation did not indicate there was an ongoing threat to the Plant City community.
Mills said releasing information before investigators had completed their work could have jeopardized witness statements, contaminated evidence or compromised investigative strategies.
“Today’s findings provide investigative closure. It did not lessen the magnitude of this tragedy,” Mills said.
The investigation is now closed, but police said additional records, including some surveillance footage and 911 calls, may be released after they are finalized.
The surviving 2-year-old is safe and with family.