HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Three days after a deadly shooting spree claimed the lives of two children, their mother, and grandmother, investigators in Plant City said there are still no arrests and no suspect information to release.
On Wednesday, a local church made a Facebook post sharing their grief over the loss of their church member, Hailey Dempsey, and two of her children. The pastor of the church spoke off-camera to Tampa Bay 28 and confirmed that the family was involved in this case. The church has since removed the post, and the pastor requested we do the same. We honored that request.
The Plant City Police were called to the home of Hailey and Jay Dempsey on May 1 at 6:30 p.m. The incident report said Jay and Hailey had gotten into a verbal dispute after Jay was caught watching porn and cheating on Hailey. The report said both parties stated no incident had occurred other than yelling.
A neighbor who lives next door to the victims of this week's quadruple murder also confirmed to Tampa Bay 28 that that was the family involved. Tampa Bay 28 also dug up the property records, which show that a woman named Hailey Dempsey lived in a home that was one of the crime scenes in the murders.
WATCH: Plant City quadruple murder investigation continues as no arrests have been made
Wednesday evening, neighbors continued to share their concerns and worries over the fact that someone is still at large for a murder that took the lives of four people.
Ashley Czarniak lives next door to the victims and told Tampa Bay 28 earlier this week, "I was terrified. Like it's right next door… I mean, they weren't — they haven't been allowed outside since Friday."
Tampa Bay 28 reached out to the Plant City Police Dept. to confirm the identities of the victims, but they said they could not confirm because it is still an active investigation.
Police said the grandmother was found shot to death inside a home on North Burton Street early Sunday morning. Just a few blocks away, officers discovered the 4-month-old, 4-year-old, and 28-year-old mother all with gunshot wounds.
The children were found dead, and the mother was taken to the hospital, where she later died.
Dan Smith said, "It is scary because this is such a quiet neighborhood."
As the investigation continues, neighbors tell Tampa Bay 28's Keely McCormick the loss has left the community shaken and grieving.
"It's a really bad thing a really bad thing. It shook up the neighborhood you can say that," Nicholas Cravero said.
On Wednesday, Keely McCormick was there as officers returned to the North Burton Street home where the grandmother was found. They pounded on the door, saying, "Plant City Police search warrant." They then entered without issue.
Neighbors said that was the home where the children lived. Smith is used to seeing the whole family out in the yard.
Smith said, "This bothers me because I knew them.... I mean it's just I don't know it's hard to wrap your mind around you know?"
Police have not released any more details despite our constant calls and questioning. They said they can not release more information because it is an ongoing and active investigation.
To help explain why information is sometimes limited in cases like this, we spoke to Dr. Rory G. Taylor. He is a police chief in North Carolina and police procedure expert. He said withholding details can be critical to preserving the investigation.
Dr. Taylor said,"The reason police don't release a lot of information in a criminal investigation, even a homicide, is again they don't want to taint the jury pool, not give any information to suspect that he or she can use against them so it's an investigative process."
He said too much information can tip off the suspect, causing them to flee.
While investigators remain tight-lipped, they are asking for the public's help.
Anyone with surveillance footage or information that could help in the investigation is urged to contact Plant City Police.
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