Dallas, NC-       

Victim Tracy Lee Hedgepath

 

Little Destiny Minter age 7, is the lone survivor of a horrific nightmare that left her bravely fighting for her life in a North Carolina hospital with a gunshot wound to the head by her dad. Destiny’s father, Austen Blake Minter (25) also fatally shot her mom Tracy Lee Hedgepath (24) who was pregnant, her younger brother Austen Blake Minter (6) and sister, Serenity Tyron Minter (3), before turning the gun on himself. The shootings happened in the family’s kitchen at their home on Dean Drive.       

Destiny was discovered alive and was somehow able to come to the door to let her grandparents in after they came to check on them (after Destiny’s mother’s co-workers notified them that Tracy had not made it to work that day). By then, the little girl had  been in the home with her dead family members for several hours.       

Neighbors and family say Tracy and Austen had an on & off again 7 -year-relationship  marked with numerous domestic incidents and violence. Police cruisers were often seen outside the home.       

Read Tracy’s Domestic Violence Order: t_hedgepathdvo

 Some of Tracy’s family members described Austen  as a “monster who was not a man”  who” wouldn’t keep away from Tracy and who had threatened to shoot Tracy before.”  They feared for her life and now we know that their worst fears have turned into a very very sad & tragic reality. Children are dead and their mother as well, and 1 child  is certainly going to be left with the terrible memories of one  violent night that left her siblings and mother dead at the hands of her own father and her with a gunshot wound.       

Just some history here…       

Austen had two arrests for violations of a protective order and domestic criminal trespassing and then an assault on a female, in which Tracy was the victim.       

Tracy applied for a DVO (domestic violence protection order)  in 2008-but NEVER finished the process to have the order enforced…       

Ladies, Mothers out there-

Do NOT take any man’s threats of harm to you as something to take lightly-EVER!!!       

If he’s hit you once- he WILL do it again and again, no matter how many times he tells you he is sorry.  Do what YOU NEED TO DO to keep yourself and your children out of harms way. If you can’t do it for yourself at least think about your children’s lives and safety. It is NOT worth risking their lives or yours.      

Sources: Gaston Gazette and WBTV