Sheriff: 5-year-old twins found dead after mother jumps off bridge in Florida

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Officials say a woman was found dead after she reportedly jumped into Lake Jessup in Seminole County, Florida, on Friday. Her two young twins were also found dead inside their house.

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The Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said on Friday just before 9 a.m., multiple drivers contacted the sheriff’s office about a woman who had reportedly gotten out of the passenger side of a car that was parked near the State Road 417 bridge and then proceeded to jump into Lake Jessup.

Deputies arrived at the scene and found a woman’s body floating in the water, according to WFTV. She was reportedly floating by two fishermen. The sheriff’s office said that one of the fishermen was an off-duty Seminole County firefighter.

She was pronounced dead after she was pulled out from the water, the sheriff’s office said, according to The Associated Press.

The sheriff’s office identified her as Catorreia Hutto, 30.

Once deputies identified Hutto, they made their way to her house. According to the AP, they learned that the woman had two 5-year-old twins who were not found inside the car at the scene or in the water.

Deputies found the two children inside the house. They were both pronounced dead. They were identified by the sheriff’s office as Ahmad and Ava Jackson.

The manner of death for the twins remains under investigation with no apparent signs of trauma, the sheriff’s office said. Their autopsy results are pending. Authorities said they are investigating the case as a suspected murder-suicide.

Investigators said that Hutto’s mother was in Orlando, Florida, over the last week for a medical procedure, WFTV reported. When she was driving back to Perry, Florida, she got a call from her daughter around 10 p.m. Thursday evening. She didn’t see the missed call until later and she assumed one of the children called her by accident.

According to the news station, Hutto’s mother said she had a history of depression but did not suspect she would be homicidal or suicidal.

Investigators believe that the family may have been financially struggling because there was not a lot of food or furniture found inside the house. It was learned that the house was built over the last few years by Habitat for Humanity, WFTV reported.

The Florida Department of Children and Families had no history with Hutto and there were no prior violence calls connected to the residence, the news station reported. The twins reportedly also had special needs and hadn’t been in school since Oct. 13.

Note: If you or someone you know is thinking of harming themselves, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free support via the Lifeline by dialing 988. For more about risk factors and warning signs, visit the organization’s official website.