Ashley Vaia,Samuel Vaia Obituary, Death;- A man fatally shot his ex-wife in her Deltona residence, fled the scene, and subsequently crashed his vehicle off the Hammock Dunes toll bridge in a neighboring county while attempting to evade law enforcement, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.
He then inflicted a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
Deputies were dispatched to a shooting report at 2:23 a.m. on Monday in the 3200 block of Parma Drive. Authorities reported that Ashley Vaia, 38, was discovered deceased by her teenage daughter. Her ex-husband, Samuel Vaia, 33, was identified and apprehended within an hour.
This tragic murder-suicide transpired just a week after Samuel had been arrested on a battery charge involving his ex-wife, during which he spent a night in the Volusia County Branch Jail.
Here are the details we have gathered:
Samuel Vaia’s vehicle was tracked using advanced technology.
The fleeing white SUV was detected traveling at speeds exceeding 100 mph on I-95 northbound out of Volusia.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including a Volusia County sheriff’s helicopter, responded to the situation.
After deploying stop sticks on the roadway, the suspect crashed into the toll gate at the Hammock Dunes bridge and overturned around 3:21 a.m. in Palm Coast, according to deputies.
Drones provided ongoing surveillance of the vehicle as Flagler SWAT approached the suspect.
The suspect shot himself and later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
“The suspect was transported to AdventHealth Palm Coast Hospital for treatment of injuries, including an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” stated the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. “He was pronounced deceased at the hospital.”
Samuel Vaia had been arrested the previous weekend on battery charges against his ex-wife. On Sunday, March 23, Vaia was taken into custody on these charges. According to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, Ashley Vaia informed deputies, who arrived around 1:48 a.m., that her ex-husband entered her bedroom, seized her phone, and accused her of infidelity.
She recounted to deputies that Samuel pushed her into a bathroom and closed the door while continuing his accusations. She attempted to yell for help using her phone.
