A young couple was found dead outside of their SUV in Daytona Beach, Florida over the weekend. Their three young children were found alive inside the vehicle. Police officials are still investigating the crime scene, but believe the parents died of a drug overdose.
Heather Kelsey, 30, and Daniel Kelsey, 32, had been married for six years. Their vehicle was found stopped along the road in I-4 with its hazard lights blinking, on Saturday. Daytona Beach Police Chief Mike Chitwood said law enforcement officers are still waiting for autopsy reports to confirm their suspicions, the Daily Mail reports.
Daniel Kelsey and Heather Kelsey were pronounced dead at the scene shortly after emergency responders arrived. The children, all boys age four and younger, were reportedly found in good health.
“At first glance, investigators feel [Daniel’s death] was an overdose. There was some concern with the female that an autopsy will clear up,” Chief Chitwood told the media.
When a Florida State Highway Patrol trooper stopped to check on the disabled vehicle along the roadway he found Heather Kelsey slumped up against the SUV and Daniel Kelsey on the ground, WFTV 9 ABC News reports.
The Daytona Beach Police Chief also noted there were no signs of foul play where the bodies of the young couple were found. There were also no readily apparent signs of trauma to either Daniel Kelsey or Heather Kelsey.
Florida law enforcement officers arrived on the scene around 2 a.m. after the SUV was spotted with its emergency light on near the city of Deland along the interstate. The Kelsey children ranged in age from eight months to four years. The young children were transported to the Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach to undergo examinations by the staff as a precaution, according to statements made by police officials.
Jerrell Jackson, an old friend of Daniel Kelsey, said he is still coming to terms with the shocking death. The body of his friend was found on Jackson’s 32nd birthday.
Jackson told the Daytona Beach News-Journal that he “loved Dan like a brother” and noted how he was rarely seen without his three boys. Jerrell Jackson described his friend as a “loving, devoted father.”
Police find dead parents by a car on a highway, but three sons in the backseat are alive, what happened? https://t.co/vUsEa3bMQN
— Primetime Justice (@PTJusticeHLN) January 3, 2017
Jackson, of Port Orange, Florida, also said he and Daniel Kelsey grew up together, attending both Campbell Middle School and Spruce Creek High School together. Jackson said the couple was “doing great” in their new city. According to Jackson, Kelsey was a mechanic who did “awesome work on cars.”
Heather Kelsey and Jerrell Jackson met for the first time last year. Jackson said he did not know a lot about her, but pointed out how delighted his old friend was when his youngest child took his first steps last week.
Another family friend, Leigh Meekins, told local reporters Daniel and Heather Kelsey had recently moved and were back in the area visiting friends and family.
“It’s heartbreaking, especially for those boys,” Meekins said. “Heather was one of my closest friends. She’s good people. They’re both good people.”
Leigh Meekins also indicated it is very upsetting to see social media posts commenting about a possible drug overdose being the cause of the deaths of the young couple.
“It’s not for somebody else to make speculation before they know anything,” Meekins added. “I know [them]. If they were into anything, they would never do it around their kids. They were never like that.”
Daytona Beach police investigators did not reportedly find any drugs inside the SUV. Neither Heather or Daniel Kelsey have a record for drug abuse.
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