Brandy Hutchins, Lake Wales, Florida mother kills her two children then self in a murder suicide after losing custody battle with 10 year old boy’s biological father, Race Hutchins.
A Polk County, Florida mother killed her two children and then herself in an apparent murder-suicide after losing a child custody battle with her ex.
Brandy Hutchins, 43, allegedly murdered her 10-year-old son and 19-year-old daughter before turning the gun on herself inside the family’s mobile home after a judge ordered the mom turn her son over to his father who lives in Maine, the Polk County sheriff said Sunday.
Hutchins was ordered to relinquish custody of her son by 6 p.m. Friday, to the father who had traveled from Maine to Florida, only to never show up for the appointment according to Sheriff Grady Judd.
‘There was no indication that there should be any violence’
The sheriff’s office was notified that the mom had violated the court order and its deputies worked through the weekend to find the boy, identified as Aiden Hutchins by his father, WFLA reported.
All three were found dead around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27, at a home in Lake Wales, Judd said. Lake Wales is about 60 miles east of Tampa.
‘Brandy Hutchins… from every indication in our investigation now has murdered her 10-year-old child and her 19-year-old child — murdered them and then subsequent to that, she shot herself,’ Judd said during a press conference. ‘I can’t imagine a more horrific set of circumstances.’
He added that the mother had no criminal history, no history of mental illness.
Added the sheriff, ‘There was no indication that there should be any violence, but it was violent.’
The 19-year-old had a different father than her 10-year-old brother and was not a part of the custody battle, according to the sheriff.
Incidence of murder suicide in the U.S
The boy’s father, Race Hutchins announced his son’s murder in a social media post after initially reporting him missing.
‘It is with a heavy heart that I am writing this to give everyone an update about my son Aiden Hutchins who was taken by his mother on August 25, 2023 who decided to murder him. He was killed by her today, August 27, 20203,’ the father wrote in a post Sunday. ‘He will forever be in my heart and did not deserve this.’
Judd said the sheriff’s office deals with hundreds of thousands of court orders and rarely ever sees such violence.
‘My heart breaks for all of the family,’ he said. ‘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.’
Up to 600 murder-suicides happen each year, according to the FBI. They account for about 1,000 deaths a year.
‘Although uncommon, such incidents vary widely in terms of the persons involved, how they are related, and where the crimes take place,’ the FBI reported. ‘Usually, law enforcement personnel deal with murder-suicides involving two people in domestic settings or relationships.’
About 65% of murder-suicides involve intimate partners, officials said, and 81% happen in the home.
