On the evening of December 17, 2025, the quiet community of Oakleaf Plantation in Orange Park, Florida, was shattered by a violent disturbance involving active-duty U.S. Navy sailors. Noely Makenda, a 21-year-old female of Congolese descent, was at her residence on Hanging Moss Drive, a home she shared with fellow naval service members. The situation began to unfold late that Wednesday night when a visitor arrived at the house, sparking an interpersonal conflict that would rapidly escalate into
a deadly encounter in the front yard of the suburban property.
The dispute originated between Makenda, her roommate Jordyn Forrestier, and the wife of a third roommate, Taylor Marques Lomax. Verbal disagreements between the women intensified, eventually turning into a physical altercation outside the home. During the confrontation, witnesses and investigators reported that Lomax, a 22-year-old sailor assigned to the Naval Air Station Jacksonville, intervened in a drastic manner. Authorities allege that he retreated into the residence to retrieve a handgun before returning to the yard where the fight was taking place.
According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Lomax opened fire on the two women, discharging approximately 30 rounds during the incident. Emergency responders were summoned to the scene following a 911 call placed by the suspect's wife, but the injuries sustained by the victims proved fatal. When deputies arrived, they discovered Makenda and Forrestier lying in the front yard with multiple gunshot wounds, and both were pronounced dead at the scene. The tragic event marked a sudden loss for the naval community, as all three individuals involved in the residency were colleagues attached to helicopter squadrons at the nearby base.
Law enforcement officers took Taylor Lomax into custody at the residence without further incident. Following interviews with detectives, he was formally arrested and booked into the Clay County Jail. Prosecutors charged him with two counts of second-degree murder in connection with the deaths of his roommates. He was ordered to be held without bond pending further legal proceedings, while the investigation continued to explore the precise motives and circumstances that led to the lethal outburst.
