First Coast News spoke with a neighbor who saw a bloody scene and a best friend of one of the victims after a triple stabbing on Jacksonville’s Westside.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Three people were found stabbed to death early Thursday morning on Jacksonville’s Westside, leaving behind a crime scene that neighbors said was both frightening and confusing, while loved ones mourn.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said officers responded to the 1300 block of Exodus Way shortly before 4 a.m. A man suffering from stab wounds was found and later died at a hospital. Two additional victims, a man and a woman, were later discovered dead inside a nearby home.
This story continues below.
Police said all three victims knew each other and are calling the case an isolated domestic incident. No suspect information has been released.
A longtime neighbor, Misty Garcia, said she woke up around 4 a.m. to flashing lights outside her home and initially believed it was a family member leaving for work. When she stepped outside, she says she discovered a disturbing scene on her front porch.
“I realized that there was blood on my floor, blood, you know, bloody handprints on my, on my door… and I kind of started freaking out,” said Garcia. “You could see it on my handles, my doorknob, my doorbell, everywhere.”
The neighbor said she later learned from conversations in the area that someone may have been trying to get help before collapsing nearby.
“I found out that the person that was knocking on my door trying to get in or trying to get help ended up a couple of houses down… and he was slumped over,” she said.
She said the discovery has left her shaken and struggling with what-ifs.
“I wish, you know, I feel so much guilt for not being able to open the door for that person to try and help them,” she said.
While neighbors processed the scene, friends of one of the victims said they are trying to make sense of the loss.
Kristin Green said she was best friends with one of the victims. She described her as driven, family-oriented, and supportive of those around her.
“She was a go-getter. She loved her family, she loved her friends, and she was always there for anybody that needed her,” Green said.
She said she learned about the death through messages and social media posts and rushed to the scene in disbelief.
“I’m torn. I have a lot of mixed emotions. I don’t even know how to explain how I feel right now,” she said.
As the investigation continues, crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson said detectives now face the challenge of reconstructing a chaotic and still-unclear sequence of events.
He said investigators begin by building a timeline from the ground up.
“They’ve got a disoriented puzzle,” Jefferson said.
Jefferson added investigators must also establish relationships between those involved and determine whether any prior conflicts or police contacts could help explain what happened.
He said physical evidence and forensic testing will be key in piecing together the case, especially when multiple victims and locations are involved.
Jefferson adds that while multiple-victim stabbings are less common than shootings, the investigative process remains methodical and time-intensive.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the investigation remains active.