5-Year-Old Girl Escapes Massacre as Gunman Slaughters Three Women

A small-town neighborhood turned into a war zone Thursday night when a 5-year-old girl covered in blood stumbled to a neighbor’s house, whispering the unthinkable: “He killed everyone.”

Authorities say 34-year-old Christopher Bobby Rowell unleashed a brutal rampage inside a home on West 12th Avenue in Hilliard, Florida, fatally shooting three women before turning the gun on himself with a military-style rifle.

The young girl was the sole survivor.

According to Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper, the first 911 call came in around 8 p.m. on July 24. “It was a massacre,” Leeper said at a press conference. “The child came out of a nightmare—and she lived it.”

“She’s a miracle,” says Sheriff

The chilling details emerged after deputies arrived at the home and found the front door unlocked. Inside, they discovered a female victim lying in a pool of blood between the living and dining rooms. Just a few feet away was the gunman, barely clinging to life with an SKS-style 7.62 caliber assault rifle next to him. He later died at the hospital and has been declared clinically brain-dead.

Deputies then found two more female victims—one in a bathroom and another in a bedroom across the hallway. All were dead.

The victims have been identified as:

• Marissa Leara Rowell, 32
• Sandra Gayle Fogarty, 71
• Alisha Lael Fogarty, 33

The relationship between the shooter and the women has not been fully disclosed, though the sheriff confirmed they were all family members. The incident is being treated as a domestic murder-suicide.

The Girl Who Survived

The unnamed 5-year-old girl told investigators that after hearing gunshots, she saw one of the women lying motionless on the floor. Another woman then dragged her into a bathroom and tried to protect her—but the shooter followed. That woman was shot point-blank, and the child was hit with blood splatter.

“She was covered in blood. She was shaking. In shock,” said Sheriff Leeper. “But she managed to run out the front door and across the street, banging on a neighbor’s door, begging for help.”

That neighbor immediately called 911. “This child witnessed horror no one—especially a child—should ever endure,” Leeper added, visibly emotional. “She’s safe now, staying with other relatives. She’s strong. She’s brave. And she’s lucky to be alive.”

Motive Still Unclear

Investigators believe Rowell moved through the house methodically—starting with the living room, then the bathroom, and finally the bedroom—before returning to the living room and shooting himself in the head.

Sheriff Leeper called the killings “senseless” and “deeply personal.”

“This is not just a crime scene. It’s a family obliterated,” he said. “And the only person left to tell the story is a little girl who shouldn’t have had to.”

The motive remains under investigation, but officials say there was no known history of domestic violence calls to the residence. Police are combing through the family’s background and digital devices to piece together what led to the killings.

“As a grandfather, this crushes me.”

In a later press conference, Leeper broke down while addressing the trauma inflicted on the child. “As a grandfather of two little ones, I can’t imagine the fear she felt. What she saw will never leave her. This was pure evil—and it happened behind closed doors in a family home.”

The sheriff praised first responders for quickly securing the scene and getting the child to safety.

As of now, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office is urging anyone with further information to come forward.

This story is developing. Check back for updates as more details emerge about the horrifying massacre that left three women dead, one child orphaned, and a community shaken to its core.