Young family were beaming picture of happiness... then affair scandal erupted and three of them were found dead

By NIC WHITE, US SENIOR INVESTIGATIONS REPORTER Published: 16:46, 7 May 2026 | Updated: 16:47, 7 May 2026 The tragic hours leading up to a young mother being shot dead along with her baby and young daughter included a screaming match with her husband. Hailey Dempsey, 27, died in hospital after she was found lying in bushes next to the bodies of her daughter Bella, 4, and four-month-old baby Kelsey on Sunday morning. Her two-year-old girl Kinsley was unharmed and found running along the street in Park City, near Tampa, wailing 'mommy won’t wake up'. Just 36 hours earlier, Hailey and her husband Jay Dempsey, 27, had such a heated argument at their home about an affair that police were called. A police incident report obtained by the Daily Mail explained that officers arrived about 6.30pm on Friday to find the couple screaming at each other. 'Hailey stated the verbal dispute was in regards to Jay being caught watching porn and cheating on Hailey,' police wrote. 'Jay became upset after admitting to it, which made Hailey want to leave the residence with their three children.' The couple told police the argument never got physical and officers didn't see any injuries. Hailey left the house in her own car after her mother Valerie Deboe, 55, arrived. Hailey Dempsey, 27, was found alongside the bodies of her daughter, 4, and four-month-old baby on Sunday morning. Her husband Jay Dempsey, 27, was detained by police but released Hailey was still alive when paramedics arrived, but died in hospital Dempsey was spotted by next-door neighbor John Czarniak putting on a bulletproof vest and loading a large duffel bag into his car the next morning. Then early on Sunday morning, Deboe was killed inside the family's home on North Burton Street, and later found with a single gunshot wound. Hailey fled with her three children and ran half a mile through the quiet neighborhood, desperately knocking on doors to beg for help, but no one answered. Her killer caught up with them on West Tever Street, and the terrified mother tried to hide, a witness told the Daily Mail. 'The tree she hid behind is not a hiding spot at all. It's a trunk that sits up against a fence but she was so desperate. She had no way of hiding... she was hunted like prey,' they said. 'Hailey tried to shield her daughters from [the killer], but sadly [they] shot two of the three kids and her. 'The two-year-old (Kinsley) was running on the sidewalk yelling that mommy won't wake up, while Hailey lay there covering the other two. 'She cried for her mother the whole way to the hospital after the fire department rescued her.'  The couple's four-year-old daughter Bella (pictured at her birth) was killed alongside her baby sister Kelsey and mother Dempsey was detained nearby the family home and his arrest photographed by nearby residents. He was later released and neighbors said he left town Dempsey is an avid shooter with numerous photos of him firing guns and posing with rifles on his now-deleted Facebook page Dempsey was detained near the couple's home and his arrest photographed by nearby residents. However, neighbors said he was released after just six hours due to lack of evidence. Police confirmed no one was in custody in relation to the murders. Sources said it was only after Dempsey was released that police raided the family home and discovered Deboe's body. After Dempsey was released from custody, he left town and later deleted his social media pages. It is unclear if police know where he is. 'He came walking out of the woods at 3am (on Monday), got in his dead wife's car and drove off,' Czarniak said. Dempsey responded to the Daily Mail on Wednesday, but didn't reply to questions about his family being murdered. 'Hi there. I am not accepting calls at this time. I have lost all my contacts. Please identify yourself and the reason for your your call. Thank you,' he wrote.  His father, Jay Dempsey Sr, refused to comment when contacted by phone. Police have not publicly identified a suspect or confirmed they have one at all. Dempsey is an avid shooter with numerous photos of him firing guns and posing with rifles on his now-deleted Facebook page.  The father-of-three ran local moving company Heavy Lifting Helper and was heavily involved in F3 Nation - a network of free, peer-led workouts for men. Hailey tried to hide herself and her daughters between these trees and the fence, but was found and gunned down by her killer Hailey fled after her mother was killed inside the family's home on North Burton Street Dempsey ran local moving company Heavy Lifting Helper and was heavily involved in F3 Nation - a network of free, peer-led workouts for men. Police called for anyone with surveillance or doorbell camera footage of North Burton Street, West Tever Street, or the surrounding area between 5.30am and 7am on Sunday to contact them. 'The Plant City Police Department knows of no credible threats that leads to a belief that there is a threat to the public at this time,' police said. 'The investigation is very active, searching for leads and clues that allow for forward progress and proper resolution in this case.' However, some locals are furious about the pace of the investigation, and don't believe police insistence that the community is safe. 'I have a 12-year-old and a 10-year-old daughter who are asking me how they are supposed to feel safe in their neighborhood,' neighbor Hayley Montoto said. 'You have a suspected murderer running loose through God knows where in our small town and you have people asking us to give thoughts and prayers for three people who were murdered in cold blood on our streets? 'The place where the mom and her two little girls were murdered is not taped off, but instead the cops put a small bouquet of flowers and some Paw Patrol plastic figurines.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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