In the months before a Volusia County man shot his children and himself, the Dept. of Children and Families reported the children were afraid of their mother, but "the overall afety risk to children is low."

A July report released Wednesday by DCF recounted instances where Cynthia Mohney was reportedly drinking and physically hit her children. Mohney denied she had a drinking problem.

The husband, David Mohney, said his wife's drinking was tearing the family apart. However, Cynthia told DCF when she did drink it was because her husband is controlling and jealous.

While DCF documented that Cynthia often hit her younger children, it also says she had a good relationship with her oldest child. The children had no suspicious marks or bruises.

It was her disturbing behavior that brought child protective investigators to the home in June and recommended she seek substance abuse treatment. Two of the children even told investigators they felt safer with their father.

The couple was in the midst of a bitter divorce when authorities say David Mohney reached for a gun during an argument with his wife last Friday and shot their children before killing himself. The youngest child, a 9-year-old girl, survived. Both of her siblings died.