Plant City Police Chief Richard Mills has closed the investigation into a murder suicide that claimed four lives in May, releasing findings that point to a serious untreated mental health crisis rather than a domestic dispute as the underlying cause.
According to the final 82 page police report, 27 year old Hailey Dempsey shot and killed her mother, Valerie DeBoe, inside their Plant City home in the early hours of May 3. She then left with her three young daughters and, a short time later, shot and killed her 4 year old and 4 month old, attempting to shoot her 2 year old as well before missing. She then turned the gun on herself. The 2 year old survived.
Police say officers had responded to the Dempsey home twice in the two days leading up to the killings. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage, phone records, and a text message Hailey sent her husband hours before the tragedy, in which she said she was struggling alone with the children and described having what she called a nervous breakdown. Based on this evidence, detectives concluded she was experiencing postpartum psychosis at the time, a serious and often misunderstood condition that can involve hallucinations, paranoia, and a distorted sense of threat, distinct from more common postpartum depression.
Hailey’s husband, Jay Dempsey, was never arrested or charged. Police confirmed digital evidence and cell tower data placed him elsewhere at the time of the shootings, and he has cooperated fully with investigators throughout.
This case is a difficult reminder of how serious postpartum mental health conditions can become when they go unrecognized or untreated, and how quickly a private struggle can turn catastrophic without intervention. Postpartum psychosis is rare but treatable when caught early, and awareness of its warning signs, including sudden confusion, paranoia, or expressions of being overwhelmed beyond normal exhaustion, can make a real difference for families around a new mother.
If you or someone you know is showing signs of a mental health crisis, help is available. In the United States, you can call or text 988, or reach the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay at 211.
