In Port St. Lucie, Florida, a 26-year-old teacher was murdered in cold blood while her ten-month-old baby screamed and cried from the next room. Victim Amanda Hicks was found dead on the floor of her home, swimming in a pool of blood. She shared the home with her unnamed partner and their young daughter. When police arrived at the property, they immediately heard the baby crying from behind a locked door before they found Hicks dead on the ground next to a man.

Hicks’s violent death has shocked the Florida community surrounding her home. Unfortunately, violence is increasingly common in the Sunshine State as guns become easier to access and obtain without proper documentation.

A neighbor close to Hicks’s home claimed that they heard loud shouting and screaming coming from the first floor late on Friday night. Authorities have not yet confirmed Hicks’s partner’s identity, but they are not looking for any other suspect in connection with the middle school teacher’s death. Police believe that the man killed Hicks before he took his own life in a murder-suicide.

Hicks’s death was discovered at the Peacock Run apartment complex. Police were called to the scene to perform a welfare check around 11:45 am on Saturday when they found Hicks and her partner dead on the ground. A relative associated with the murderer called authorities to request a welfare check.

Fortunately, Hicks’s daughter, Alani, was unharmed during the violent murder-suicide. The baby is currently in the custody of another family member now that her mother has been murdered in a violent twist of fate for the Florida teacher.

Monica Ventura, 56, a neighbor, said that she heard a “very loud, screechy scream” come from the apartment the night before the bodies were discovered.

Ventura said, “That scream stays in my head.”

Hicks had recently moved to the apartment complex with her partner and her daughter. People familiar with the mother and her family wished that they could have received some type of help before things ended in a violent murder-suicide.

They said: “We didn’t even get time to even get to know them because everything happened so fast. My heart goes out to the family, though. Hopefully, they find peace in all of this.”

Hicks worked at the Dr. David L Anderson Middle School. Tributes poured in for the teacher who was known for doing a great job with the children and will be sorely missed by those who knew her.

Although the school is already closed for summer break, giving Florida students less time in the classroom, the school is offering up counseling sessions to anyone who is emotionally affected by the teacher’s violent demise.

Principal Darcia Borel sent a memo to staff confirming that Hicks was the one killed in the incident.

“The Port St. Lucie Police Department has confirmed that Ms. Hicks was the victim of a homicide,” Principal Borel wrote. “While words will never be enough to convey the shock and sadness this news has brought to our school family, it is more important than ever to come together to support one another through our grief journey. Additional information about memorials and opportunities for supporting Amanda’s beautiful little girl will be forthcoming.”