OCALA, Florida – A 34-year-old woman and her 4-year-old daughter were found shot to death inside their Ocala condominium Tuesday night, and the woman’s estranged husband later died by suicide during a traffic stop in Georgia, authorities said.
Ocala Police responded at approximately 9:16 p.m. February 10 to Marion Springs Condominiums at 3575 SE Ft. King Street after receiving a 911 call reporting possible gunshots from a neighboring unit. Inside one of the residences, officers discovered the bodies of Nancy Bacon, 34, and her young daughter. Both had been shot and killed.
Witnesses told investigators they saw Nancy Bacon’s estranged husband, 38-year-old Ralph Bacon, leaving the complex in a dark-colored SUV with North Carolina license plates shortly after the gunshots were heard.
A region-wide “be on the lookout” alert was issued for Ralph Bacon and the vehicle. License plate readers soon detected the SUV traveling north toward the Florida-Georgia border.
Georgia authorities were notified, and the vehicle was located on Interstate 95 approximately seven miles north of the state line. The Kingsland Police Department conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, Ralph Bacon shot and killed himself inside the vehicle, police said.
The investigation remains ongoing, with detectives working at scenes in both Florida and Georgia to determine the circumstances that led to the killings.
Authorities said the loss of Nancy Bacon and her daughter has deeply affected those who knew them.