Timeline of De Pere shooting released

DE PERE - Authorities have now released new details about the murder-suicide of a De Pere family earlier this month.

Wednesday, De Pere police released a timeline of the events that led up to the shooting.

On February 3rd, Denis Bay shot and killed his wife Michelle and their two children, 14-year-old Andrea and 10-year-old Daniel.

Denis Bay eventually took his own life.

Authorities believe the combination of marital problems and financial issues may be what led Denis Bay to kill his wife and children.

"I think if you look at the big picture and you see all the stress in their life and the different aspects and then you have maybe an ultimatum perhaps, it's time to leave, and maybe that's what it was," explained De Pere Police Chief Derek Beiderwieden.

According to police, the couple was having marital problems for quite some time.

Michelle Bay and the children moved out of the home in October of 2010. They moved back less than a year later.

The couple was also having money issues, according to the report.

Denis Bay had lost his job last March.

The day of the shooting, the report says Michelle Bay was planning to kick Denis Bay out of the home.

"They had come to a mutual understanding, Michelle and Denis both agreed that it would be good for the children to say goodbye before he left the house," explained Beiderwieden. "So they came up with a plan to make up some kind of family emergency and that the kids needed to come home."

At 1:45 p.m., Michelle Bay contacted the schools where her children went, asking that they be released early, due to a family emergency in Door County.

At 2:20 p.m., Denis Bay picked up Andrea from De Pere High School. He then picked up Daniel from Heritage Elementary five minutes later.

Officials say between 2:30 p.m. and 2:45 p.m., while Denis Bay picked up the kids, Michelle Bay talked to her sister on the phone. She told the sister her plan to kick Denis out.

According to the report, the sister was concerned for Michelle's safety, but Michelle reassured her sister the gun and ammunition were hidden.

That very gun, officials say, was purchased by Michelle Bay as a gift for Denis in 2008.

Approximately 15 minutes later, Denis Bay called 911. He told the dispatcher he killed his family and was going to kill himself.

Prior to that, Denis Bay did something authorities found interesting. Before picking up the children from school, he made a routine stop at a nearby gas station.
         
"He went and bought a soda and a cigar, like he always did," Beiderwieden said.
    
And that's made police wonder just how pre-mediated the crime was.

"Maybe he knew it would be his last one, maybe he didn't have that formulated yet," Beiderwieden explained.

Despite all the information gathered, officials say they may never know what exactly made Denis Bay pull the trigger.
     
Beiderwieden says the investigation is pretty much wrapped up at this point.
 
However, police are still waiting for toxicology reports.