ORANGE PARK, Fla.-- A reported murder-suicide in Oakleaf Plantation on Wednesday night is a haunting reminder of a growing problem in North Florida.
"Over the last three years the frequency has increased," said Marty Cotchaleovitch with the Clay County Sheriff's Office, who has worked many murder-suicide cases in Clay County. "We've had nine since 2010. It used to be rare, I mean you had maybe one every two or three years," he said.
Between 2010 and 2012, Clay County averaged three murder-suicides a year and with one already in 2013, Cotchaleovitch doesn't see the problem going away anytime soon."
"It's people just like me and you -- your middle class folks -- things seem alright on the outside when you start doing interviews with family members and friends you'll find out in most of these cases that it was tumultuous," he said.
That's why experts say it's important to recognize the warning sign. Irene Toto with Clay Behavioral Health Center said any small change in behavior could indicate depression.
"We tell people don't ignore anything and even something that seems benign or not that critical that they should reach out, encourage the person to reach out for help or actually take their hand and bring them to resources," she said.
Neighbors at Oakleaf, where Wednesday night's murder-suicide happened, admit they might have been able to save young mother Kayla Beynon had they paid attention to warning signs.
"We kind of feel bad that we didn't say something to her or ask if she was OK."
Experts say a little can go a long way. There are plenty of domestic violence and suicide helplines available. You can find them here.
