SANFORD, Florida – The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a detailed investigation into a heartbreaking incident that occurred. Authorities are looking into the deaths of a mother and her two young twins. Sheriff Dennis Lemma held a news conference to shed light on what appears to be an isolated case of murder-suicide.
The incident transpired when an eyewitness reported a chilling event on the SR-417 bridge. The caller had witnessed a motorist stopping their vehicle, a woman sliding out of the passenger window, and jumping into the St. Johns River, indicating an apparent suicide attempt.
Upon responding to the call, deputies found the woman floating in the river. She was identified as 31-year-old Catorreia Hutto, who would have turned 32 years old on October 29. The sheriff stressed that Hutto had no known prior history of such actions.
The situation took a devastating turn when law enforcement entered Hutto’s home, located on the same street where she resided with her 5-year-old twins, Ahmed and Ava Jackson. The children initially appeared to be sleeping but were later discovered deceased. Sheriff Lemma described the tragedy as a situation where “Mom jumps off the bridge, commits what’s obviously now a suicide, and what looks to be a homicide that is contained within this house.”
Officials conducted a well-being check on the children, and upon obtaining a search warrant for a more extensive investigation, they found no signs of physical trauma but did discover a firearm on the bedroom floor and live rounds.
As part of their inquiry, authorities reached out to Hutto’s mother, who mentioned that her last communication with her daughter went unanswered. She had not suspected that the call came from one of the children and didn’t think to return it.
The Florida Department of Children and Families had no prior contact with Hutto or her children at the residence, indicating that there were no red flags leading up to this tragic event. At this stage, investigators have not found any indications from those who knew Hutto that she was feeling suicidal, homicidal, or in immediate need of help. Hutto had struggled with depression throughout her life, but no one had anticipated this level of violence towards her children or self-harm, as per Sheriff Lemma.