Hailey Dempsey, 28, killed her mother in her home in Hillsborough, Florida on May 3, before taking two of her children outside and shooting them – police said Thursday

After Hailey Dempsey was discovered dead from gunshot injuries along with her mom and two of her children, it was suspected that her husband, Jay Dempsey, was responsible

Taken in for questioning, Jay Dempsey, 27, ultimately was never arrested or charged in connection with the killings, still he lost custody of his surviving child

On Thursday, August 13, police said his wife, Hailey Dempsey was behind the fatal shootings of her mother Valerie DeBoe, 58, and her children, aged four years and four months, before shooting herself

Hailey Dempsey police said, missed when she fired at her two-year-old daughter before turning the gun on herself, the toddler survived

Cleared of suspicion, Jay Dempsey has just recovered custody of his daughter who was sent into foster care that lasted months

Discovery of four members of the family dead by gunshot, led to allegations that Hailey’s husband, Jay Dempsey, was responsible after he was taken in for questioning. Ultimately he was never arrested or charged in connection with the killings. He has now been vindicated by police 

Hailey Dempsey, 28, was found dead along with two of her three children and her mother, Valerie DeBoe, 58, in her home in Hillsborough, Florida on May 3, 2026. All suffered gunshot injuries.
Following the discovery Hailey’s husband, Jay Dempsey, 27, faced a cloud of suspicion and lost custody of his surviving child after the four deaths. Taken in for questioning, he maintained his innocence. He has now been vindicated by police 
It has emerged it the shooter was his wife that Hailey Dempsey shot two of their children and her own mother dead, before taking her own life. 
Police revealed Thursday that Hailey shot her mother Valerie DeBoe, her toddler, four, a four-month-old baby, adding that she also fired at the couple’s other child, a two-year-old, but missed, before turning the gun on herself.
The killings created rabid online speculation – allegations that Jay was responsible after he was taken in for questioning by police.
Ultimately, he was never arrested or charged in the slayings. Still, attempts on social media to attach his name to the killings never abated. 

Hailey Dempsey, police said Thursday, killed her mother in her home in Hillsborough, Florida on May 20, before taking two of her children outside and shooting them. After missing the shot fired at her third child, she turned the gun on herself

Jay Dempsey cooperated fully with the investigation, Plant City police chief Richard Mills Jr, said at Thursday’s press conference, while admitting that it took some time to rule the bereaved dad out as the perpetrator. 
‘My responsibility as chief of police was to protect the integrity of this investigation until our detectives have evidence necessary to reach a definitive conclusion,’ Mills said. 
Following the press conference Dempsey’s attorney, Patrick Courtney, expressed relief that his client was cleared, while noting that the tragedy ‘still hurts bitterly.’
Courtney who was reading a statement on behalf of Dempsey, said: ‘There are possible words to say about those who would bear false witness, and essential processes that were ignored.
‘Words and actions based in misinformation, that sought anger and escalation. But our family seeks what is good. We seek hope and life.’
When Jay was taken in for questioning following the murders, the Florida Department of Children placed his surviving daughter in foster care. 
She remained under the care of the state for months, leaving Dempsey grieving the deaths of his family and struggling to get his young daughter back while pleading his innocence. 

Police revealed Thursday that it was not Jay Dempsey but Hailey who shot her own mother Valerie DeBoe, [photo], 58, during the murder-suicide episode on May3

Jay Dempsey eventually obtained custody of his surviving child on July 1, after the Florida Department of Children filed a motion to end its shelter status of the child, noting that police had not arrested the father and the case was never referred to the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office either.
In the motion for granting custody of the child to the father, the department said to its knowledge, ‘the father is not a suspect.’
A judge granted the motion that same day. 
In the statement read on his behalf Thursday, Dempsey continued: ‘What we can say IS good is that finally, after months of anxious waiting, our beloved child has come home.
‘We profusely thank the foster family who came alongside our daughter during this time. ‘KD’ is vibrant and full of life: a demonstration of love and care.’
He also thanked ‘brothers and sisters who rushed to help the Dempsey family in our desperate hour of need. The aftershock and pain is something no one can suffer alone. But we are not alone… All of us are having to cope with massive loss that no one should.’

Jay Dempsey [left], lost custody of his surviving child, a two-year-old girl, for months after the killings

At Thursday’s press conference, Mills said solving the murders took an ‘extremely complex investigation’ involving ‘extensive forensic analysis and a significant amount of digital evidence.’
‘This investigation demanded patience, diligence, and precision,’ the police chief said. 
‘Our responsibility for both families and to our community was to follow evidence wherever it led, and establish the truth of what occurred.’
Investigators have not disclosed a possible motive for the slayings, however Mills said ‘there are indications of some mental illness involved with the case.’  
According to previously released records from police, officers found Hailey and her two children in the yard of a home on West Tever Street at around 10am local time on May 3. 
Hailey was alive with a gunshot wound to her temple and she was lying on top of one of her dead children, records showed.
Another youngster was next to her with a gunshot wound to the head, and a third was uninjured nearby. 
The mother was taken to hospital where she succumbed to her injuries soon after, while officers said their investigation led them to the Dempsey family home on North Franklin Street. 
Officers then found DeBoe’s body on the second-floor of the home. 

Authorities said evidence showed Hailey killed her own mother, then shot two of her children and attempting to shoot a third, before turning the gun on herself

Jay Dempsey fell under scrutiny from police after his car was found outside the home where DeBoe’s body was discovered, and neighbors told officers that they saw him leave in a different vehicle early on the morning of the murders. 
He was taken in for questioning, but was never arrested or charged. His attorney said he cooperated fully with the investigation.