MARION COUNTY, Fla. — The community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of 34-year-old Nancy Bacon and her 4-year-old daughter, whose lives were tragically taken during a shooting Tuesday at the Marion Springs Condominiums on East Fort King Street.
Officers with the Ocala Police Department responded to reports of gunfire at the complex and arrived to find Nancy and her young child suffering from gunshot wounds. Despite emergency response efforts, both mother and daughter were pronounced deceased at the scene.
Investigators identified Nancy’s estranged husband, 38-year-old Ralph Bacon, as the suspect. Witnesses reported seeing him leaving the condominium complex shortly after the shooting. Authorities later located him driving toward the Florida-Georgia border. When Georgia law enforcement attempted to initiate a traffic stop, he reportedly took his own life before officers could make contact.
Police confirmed that the 4-year-old child was not the biological daughter of the suspect. Authorities described the relationship between Nancy and Ralph as complicated and on-and-off over several years. The incident remains under investigation.
Nancy and her daughter’s lives were cut far too short, leaving family, friends, and neighbors devastated. A mother’s love and a child’s innocence are irreplaceable gifts, and their absence leaves an immeasurable void. The Marion County community now grieves together, holding their memories close and lifting their loved ones in prayer during this unimaginable time.
May Nancy and her sweet daughter rest in eternal peace.
