Alexis Somerford Family Releases Statement Questioning Suicide Ruling

PALM COAST, FL. (THECOUNT) — Family members of Alexis Marie Somerford have issued the following statement Friday regarding the events surrounding her death.

Somerford, 27, was the Florida woman identified as a suspected suicide victim found by Flagler County Sheriff’s deputies in late May.

Somerford was located by first responders in a back bedroom of her home at 85 Farragut Drive in Palm Coast with a gunshot to the head apparently from a nearby rifle.

Rumors started falsely making the rounds on social media claiming that the incident had been a home invasion and that the victim was an “older man,” and now the family has contacted THECOUNT.com with exclusive new information in hopes of setting record straight.

Somerford was the mother of four young children.

Somerford had four children with her husband Kristopher, 28–three girls and a boy, ages 1, 4, 5 and 6. The boy is the 5 year old. The Department of Children and Families was notified of the incident and responded to the scene as ” Kristopher was later placed under the Baker Act for suicidal statements he made on scene and transported to Halifax Hospital,” according to FlaggerLive.

FAMILY STATEMENT:

On Sunday, May 27, 2019, our daughter, Alexis Marie Somerford, passed away from an alleged self-inflicted gunshot in Palm Coast, Florida. We are issuing this statement to clear up some of the circumstances surrounding her death in hopes that the truth will eventually come to light.

There has been speculation that financial hardships, the strain of raising four small children and depression were one, or all, of the contributing factors of this tragedy. We, the family, vehemently deny these as being contributing factors to her death. The Eviction Notice that was uncovered through public record has been taken out of context and does not show financial instability. Her Children were all that she lived for, taking great joy in planning parties for them and even working to teach the youngest one sign language as a means to communicate after early medical issues. She was excited to move to North Carolina and for all of the opportunities she would have ahead of her. Above all, she was excited to meet her new nephew, for the first time, whom she would be taking care of through the day while his mother worked. This is the Alexis we knew.

We do, however, believe she was secretly depressed, as a result of living in an abusive marriage. Her husband had recently been arrested for Domestic Battery, a situation we were misinformed about and later come to know the truth. We do not believe this was an isolated incident and believe that he exhibited total control over Alexis in many ways. At 4 foot 11 and 95 pounds, Alexis was no match for his 6 foot, 245 pounds and raging temper. Still though, evidence would suggest that she tried to fight his control and abuse.

His deceptive ways were evident on the day leading to Alexis’ death. After planning the move to North Carolina for months, having us, her parents, down to help pack and planning a future on family property, the morning of May 26th, he began an argument with Alexis regarding his unwillingness to move out of Florida and

leave his mother. We believe that this argument was the one and only sole contributor that led to her death.

The belief of the family is that the argument turned violent when Alexis’ husband loaded and chambered a round in a .22 caliber rifle and proceeded to threaten his life before turning the gun on her. While there is only speculation as to how the medical evidence would point to a self-inflicted gunshot, it is the full belief that her husband was the one who pulled the trigger.

He has been afforded the opportunity to prove himself innocent of these allegations and, to this point, has refused to cooperate and prove his innocence. Even on the offhand that he were to cooperate and be found innocent, due to his abusive behavior and the fact that he brandished a loaded firearm during a domestic dispute, with his four children – awake – on the other side of the door, we hold him fully responsible for the death of Alexis and feel as though he should be treated as such by law enforcement.

DEVELOPING::

The death remains under investigation.

Geo quick facts: Palm Coast is a city in Flagler County, Florida. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 75,180, more than twice the 32,832 counted in 2000. The population was estimated to be 80,600 in 2014. It is the most populous city in Flagler County – Wikipedia.