POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A custody dispute led a 43-year-old mother to commit a double-murder suicide Sunday afternoon. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says the woman killed her two children and then shot herself.
Judd says a judge had ordered Brandy Hutchins to turn over her 10-year-old son to her ex-husband who'd come to Florida from Maine to pick up the boy.
The Judge set a 6 p.m. Friday deadline for Hutchins to surrender the boy. But Judd says the mom missed the deadline and Polk County detectives worked through the weekend to find the 10-year-old.
Judd said authorities never suspected any suspicious activity or violence because Hutchins did not have a criminal record.
"We pinged phones, we looked for the child," the Polk County sheriff said. "The friends also did some social media. On the social media, they said, 'Hey, if you've seen the child, let us know.'"
At around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, the sheriff's office says they arrived at a mobile home in the Waverly area of Lake Wales where Hutchins was inside with her 10-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter. The two kids reportedly have different fathers.
When deputies tried to approach the home, they said the 43-year-old mother killed her two kids and then shot herself.
"We're heartbroken and devastated over this horrible event," Judd said. "My heart breaks for all of the family. We're devastated for this beautiful 10-year-old child all because mom did not want to turn the child over to the rightful father pursuant to a court order."
Authorities say the investigation of the incident remains ongoing.