Police: Man fatally shoots ex-stepdaughter before killing himself

A Florida woman was shot to death by her former stepfather Thursday, who blamed her for his divorce from her mother, the Brevard County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies said Amy Mitchell, 54, was shot multiple times at a home in Cocoa. She was airlifted to Holmes Regional Medical Center, where she later died.

Investigators said the suspect, 73-year-old Edwards Ratcliffe, drove to St. Johns County after killing Mitchell and killed himself.

Ratcliffe drove from his house in Georgia earlier Thursday morning to Mitchell's home before confronting her inside her home and then killing her, deputies said.

Ratcliffe called 911 in St. Johns County and told dispatchers he'd killed his stepdaughter and was going to kill himself. When deputies arrived at the scene, Ratcliffe was dead from a gunshot wound, authorities said.

Deputies said they responded to the Mitchell's home after receiving a 911 call from the home around 10:47 p.m., but when they arrived, they learned the shooter was already gone.

Cox Media Group