A Teen Rescued Her Mother From a Brutal Beating by Ex. A Week Later, She Came Home to Find Mom Dead

A teenager in Florida came home in the early morning hours of Monday, March 31, to discover her mother dead from a fatal gunshot wound to the head.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said at a press conference that Samuel Vaia killed his ex, 38-year-old Ashley Vaia, by shooting her in the head.

Samuel later took his own life after leading authorities on a cross-county chase, said Sheriff Michael Chitwood of the VCSO.

Police also revealed that Samuel had been arrested one week earlier after attacking Ashley inside her home.

“During last Sunday’s incident, Ashley told deputies that Samuel grabbed her, pushed her into a bathroom, closed the door and continued accusing her of infidelity. She said she tried to yell at her phone to call 911 but was unsuccessful, and Samuel covered her mouth,” Chitwood said.

Ashley grew even more fearful when she noticed that Samuel had a gun on him, said police.

The daughter who later discovered Ashley’s body rushed in to rescue her mother from Samuel, at which point he fled the scene, according to authorities.

Body camera footage taken the night shows that police confiscated a weapon that Samuel had tucked into his waistband.

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“Deputies arrested Samuel on a charge of battery, and he was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail early Sunday morning. He later posted $2,000 bond and was released Monday evening,” the VCSO said in a statement.

Samuel had been ordered to turn over all firearms following the incident; Chitwood said that he returned three in the days after his arrest, but kept at least one.

After identifying Samuel as the suspect, police used stop sticks to prevent his car from continuing to lead police on a high-speed chase, according to the VCSO.

He was then extricated from the vehicle by a SWAT team after drones were used to assess the situation, according to police.

Once police removed Samuel, he was rushed to the hospital where he later died after suffering injuries including “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” said police.

Chitwood addressed the victim’s children, saying, “Our hearts go out to Ashley’s children, and all her family and friends who have to deal with losing her to such a senseless act of violence. Time and time again, we see that domestic violence situations can escalate quickly and dangerously, with tragic consequences.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.