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Husband of Plant City mom found dead with kids not a suspect in killings, records show

tampabay.com · 22h · first reportShare

Three months ago, when his wife, two of his children and his mother-in-law were found fatally shot in Plant City, police took Jay Dempsey into custody for questioning, and the Florida Department of Children placed his surviving 2-year-old daughter in foster care. The May 3 killings put the small eastern Hillsborough city on edge. In the absence of information from the Plant City Police Department, many took to social media to cast suspicion or outright accuse Jay Dempsey of murdering his family members. The police department would only say that they were continuing to investigate and asked the public to be patient. Records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times show Jay Dempsey has not been considered a suspect in the case for at least six weeks. And Dempsey’s attorney told the Times that police have said there are “no living suspects” to charge. On July 1, the Florida Department of Children and Families filed a motion seeking to end the so-called shelter status for Jay and Hailey Dempsey’s s