A beloved Florida teacher was kidnapped by her estranged husband, shot to death in front of her children, and then turned the gun on herself as police crowded in.
Emergency personnel found Jamie Felix’s children, ages 10 and 17, unharmed and sitting with their mother, who died at the scene.
Felix, a 45-year-old middle school teacher at Manatee Academy kindergarten through eighth grade school in Port St. Lucie, was named the school’s “Teacher of the Year,” according to a social media post from the school.
“Jamie Bukosky Felix is a beautiful soul who will live forever in the hearts of those who loved her. She loved children more than words can describe,” a friend wrote in a memorial post on Facebook. wrote. “She was incredibly brave and resilient. She had the most amazing, contagious laugh, especially when something made her happy.”
Felix and her estranged husband, Ray Felix, 60, were going through a messy divorce that reportedly involved past incidents of domestic violence before she was killed late Friday night.
Sneaking up on Jamie and the children in a Port St. Lucie company parking lot around 4 p.m., Ray armed and disguised her, forced them all into a rental car, and sent “suspicious emails to her co-workers,” the deputy police chief said. said Richard Dell. Toro said this at a press conference.
“From what I understand, the email was basically that she was lying about the domestic violence incident, which we know is not true,” del Toro said. said.
Her colleague reported the email to police around 6:30 p.m., but the situation had already gotten out of control.
By then, Ray had forced his 17-year-old son into a rental car, followed his mother’s SUV, and headed south to West Palm Beach.
Police said Jamie was driving the SUV with a gun pointed at his head, and his 10-year-old son was in the back seat.
West Palm Beach Police Department spokesman Mike Jackles told local newspaper TCPalm on Saturday.
Ray and Jamie got out of the SUV and Ray fired several shots at his wife.
The children watched their mother fall to the ground as their father drove away in a rental car.
It was around 7:30 p.m. when West Palm Beach police were flooded with 911 calls.
Jamie was pronounced dead at the scene, and after returning the car, police officers found Ray about 400 meters from the rental car company.
When the officers approached, Ray shot himself, Jackles said. “The officer didn’t fire. . . . He seemed intent on one thing, and that’s what’s costing him his life.”
Tributes for Jamie flooded social media
Family, friends, colleagues and students, past and present, paid tribute to her on social media and following the news of her death.
A local Facebook group called Slscanner, which emphasizes not posting videos, photos or tributes without consent, shared this video of Jamie’s students surprising their teachers.
According to her obituary, Jamie was known for her love of sports and was the basketball coach at the University of Michigan.
Monica Jackman wrote on Facebook: “She was truly grateful for all the kindness she received. She was intelligent but humble (she had no idea how talented and beautiful she was). ” he wrote.
“She was fun, funny, and witty and made me cry with laughter. She was caring, loyal, devoted, and a girly girl who cheered up her friends at every opportunity.”
