Deputies: Mother of 4 killed by boyfriend at Brandon apartment

BRANDON, Fla. (FOX 13) - A young mother was found dead in Brandon, apparently at the hands of her boyfriend and the father of their child.

Tuesday afternoon, deputies were called to the Charleston Landings Apartments where they found the 25-year-old victim’s body.

The suspected killer, identified as 26-year-old John James McQueen, was arrested on a first-degree murder charge, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. 

A friend of the victim told deputies she was worried about her friend’s safety, saying the victim may have been harmed by her boyfriend.

After searching several places, deputies came to the apartments and found the woman dead inside one of the units. She was a 25-year-old mother of four. He and the woman share a 3-month-old together. She has three other children.

None of the children were home when this happened and they were all safe, according to deputies. However, they will now grow up without their mother, and one of them possibly without a mother or father.

The sheriff says the suspect and victim had domestic violence issues in the past. The suspect was on probation for a battery on the victim when this happened.