Brandy Hutchins.Photo:Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Polk County Sheriff’s Office
A Florida woman killed her 10-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter before shooting herself in a “double murder-suicide” incident, authorities are saying.
Sheriff Grady Judd identified the mother as Brandy Hutchins, 43, who was found dead with her two children on Sunday morning in Waverly, Fla., following what authorities say was a custody battle with the her son’s father.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in astatementon Sunday that the incident began as a “domestic event” and custody battle, eventually culminating in the murders.
She allegedly did not follow the directive, prompting a weekend-long search that included phone pings and social media posts from friends, the sheriff said.
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On Sunday, police received a call and was provided information that Brandy Hutchins was inside a mobile home with her two children, he added.
He also said that “every indication in our investigation” points to the possibility that the mother “murdered” her children and shot herself.
Sheriff Judd also said there had been no indication prior to the incident that the mother posed any kind of threat.
“We get lots these court orders,” Brian Bruchey, Public Information Officer at the sheriff’s office, told PEOPLE on Monday. “You just don’t see it turn like this.”
The son’s father shared aFacebook poston Sunday confirming the news about the child’s death. A day before, he’d shared a post asking for help to find his son.
“He will forever be in my heart and did not deserve this,” the boy’s father said in the Facebook post on Sunday.
“Hannah was super caring and loving, and she was full of love,” Savannah McKinney, who identified herself as the Griner’s boyfriend’s sister, told PEOPLE on Tuesday. “She was the sweetest person I knew.”
She added that the younger Hutchins was “quiet” and a “sweet kid” who loved video games.
“He was very kind and had the best manners,” McKinney said.
On Monday, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE that Brandy, Aiden and Griner were all listed to be at the same address, although that is not the location where they were found.
McKinney told PEOPLE that she was with Griner the night before in her own mother’s trailer where both the children and Brandy Hutchins were staying.
source: people.com
