PLANT CITY, Fla. — Newly released search warrants offer the clearest look yet at the investigation into the deaths of four members of a Plant City family.
On May 3, police responded to the 300 block of West Tever Street, where a mother and her two young children had been shot. A short distance away, the children's grandmother was found dead inside a home on North Burton Street.
WATCH: Attorney says husband cooperated with police in case involving four deaths in Plant City
The warrants filed in Hillsborough County identify Hailey Dempsey as the mother who died. They also describe surveillance video that investigators say captured Dempsey and her children walking through a neighborhood before the shootings.
According to the records, Dempsey and the children knocked on a door. Investigators wrote that the children could be heard crying on the video.
The warrants show detectives searched the Burton Street home and two vehicles connected to the family. Officers collected firearms, ammunition, cell phones, computers, and other items as evidence.
The records also state that a neighbor reported seeing Hailey's husband, Jay Dempsey, leave the Burton Street home that morning. The neighbor told investigators he appeared to be wearing body armor before driving away.
Hours after the warrants were released, Jay Dempsey's attorney, Pat Courtney, provided a statement to Tampa Bay 28.
"Jay has been cooperative from the moment he first interacted with law enforcement," Courtney said.
No arrests have been made in the case, and the Plant City Police Department has not publicly identified a suspect or person of interest.
In a May 27 update, investigators said they had not reached a final conclusion regarding the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Police said detectives continue to analyze forensic, digital, and other evidence collected during the investigation.
Police have also said they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the community.
Nevertheless, many questions remain unanswered more than a month after the deaths.
Police have not said what they believe happened, who may be responsible, or whether investigators have identified a potential suspect.
Neighbors who spoke with Tampa Bay 28 this week said they are still waiting for answers in a case that has shaken the community.
“It’s been so quiet for such a horrific act of violence,” said Dan Smith. “What’s going on?”
Meanwhile, a police procedure expert told Tampa Bay 28 that the timeline is not necessarily unusual for a complex homicide investigation.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever seen, you know, a homicide investigation file, but it’s going to have 4-5 three-inch binders full of material to support the case, and so, it has to be a very granular type of investigation,” Roy G. Taylor said.
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