Triple murder manhunt after gunman 'shoots dead his ex-girlfriend and goes on the rampage with another woman killing a motel guest, a hospital worker and attacking a mom in her home'

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A multi-state manhunt has ensued for a man wanted in the murder of three women and attempted killing of a fourth in the Florida panhandle.

Police say William 'Billy' Boyette, 44, is on the run with Mary Rice, 37, after he shot and killed his ex-girlfriend Alicia Greer, whose body was found last week with another woman, Jacqueline Jeanette Moore. They are also wanted in the killing of Peggy Broz, 52, stealing her car and later abandoning it.

Their latest victim is believed to be young mother Kayla Crocker who was shot Tuesday morning during a home invasion.

Her vehicle was also stolen and she is now in hospital in a critical condition.

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William 'Billy' Boyette, left, is on the run with Mary Rice, right, and faces capital murder charges after four women were shot across the Florida panhandle

The bodies of the first victims Greer and Moore were found at the Emerald Sands Inn in Milton, Florida on January 31. 

Greer's family told WEAR-TV that she had been in a relationship with Boyette since Thanksgiving that grew increasingly violent.

Her father, Wayne Lane, said that two weeks before her death, Boyette 'choked her down to the ground, kicked her in the face, hit her in the head with an unopened two liter bottle of soda, so bad she had to have stitches in the top of her head, had to have an MRI of her skull'.

The first victim Alicia Greer, pictured right with Boyette, had been in a relationship with him since Thanksgiving, and previously put her in the hospital after beating her 

The pair are believed to have split up and five warrants were issued for Boyette's arrest after that incident, which Mr Lane believes sparked the start of the murder spree.

He explained the charges, saying: 'Assault, kidnapping because he kept her in a hotel room against her wishes, wouldn't let her leave over in Milton at the Blackwater Inn for two days, crushed her phone so she had no contact with the outside.'

Mr Lane said the last contact he had with his daughter was a text message conversation in which he asked her if she was back together with Boyette - to which she never responded. 

Mother of three Greer, was discovered dead with another woman, Jeannette Moore, at the Emerald Sands Inn in Milton, Florida on January 31

The murders span the Florida panhandle and cross the borders of Florida and Alabama 

Video surveillance confirmed Boyette and Rice took Crockett's car to a nearby Shell station and ate at a Hardee's restaurant a short time after the attack

It is not known what Greer's relationship was with Moore - but authorities believe that Boyette knew her as well.

Greer, 30, was a mother of three children under ten, and had been staying with a relative two days before her death to evade Boyette, though despite please from family members to stay away from him - she agreed to see him. 

The next alleged victim of Boyette's spree was Peggy Broz, 52, who was found dead by a family member in her front yard in Lillian, Alabama on February 3rd

Her mother, Kim Lane, told Fox 10: 'This man murdered my daughter so bad, and shot her so bad, that we cannot have an open casket for her. 

'I can't even see my daughter one more time ever again.'

The next alleged victim of Boyette's spree was Peggy Broz, 52, who was found dead by a family member in her front yard in Lillian, Alabama on February 3.

Authorities believe Boyette stole Broz's car, a 2003 Chrystler Concord, and later abandoned it in Escambia County, Florida near the intersection of I-10 and Nine Mile Road. 

The most recent victim Kayla Crocker, 28, was discovered by a family member around 8am this morning suffering from gunshot wounds. Her two-year-old son was unharmed. 

Crocker's white Chevrolet Cobalt was stolen and Sheriff David Morgan told local news outlets that video surveillance confirmed Boyette and Rice took the car to a nearby Shell station and ate at a Hardee's restaurant a short time after the attack.

The Cobalt has also since been recovered in Escambia County.

A Florida Panhandle sheriff's office has doubled the number of deputies on patrol as the search for the two enters its second week.   

The Cobalt has since been recovered in Escambia County. A Florida Panhandle sheriff's office has doubled the number of deputies on patrol as the search for the two enters its second week

Agencies across the Panhandle and southern Alabama are searching for Boyette and Rice, who had previously been considered a person of interest in the attacks. 

On Monday she was upgraded to an official suspect.

Authorities said she had multiple chances to flee or ask for help. She has been spotted on surveillance video entering stores on her own. 

Monday afternoon, Escambia County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Chip Simmons said: 'In short we have a killer, he is in our midst. Everyone, and I mean everyone, should be aware of this, should be aware of what they look like.'

Agencies across the Panhandle and southern Alabama are searching for Boyette and Rice, right, who had previously been considered a person of interest in the attacks. On Monday she was upgraded to an official suspect

Morgan said Boyette has a history of drug trafficking and is known to be a heavy user of the drug Spice.

He said his agency has been 'chasing a lot of shadows and a lot of rumors' in the search for the pair. He warned residents to stay alert.

'When you go to work, when you come home, make sure a friend or family member knows where you are,' Morgan said. 

He added that while the measures may seem extreme, 'we're dealing with an extreme situation here.'