A licensed mental health counselor was fatally stabbed during a Monday night session at her Orange County office when a former client forced his way in and attacked, deputies said. The victim, identified as Rebecca White, 44, died at the scene. A man in his 30s who was in therapy at the time was also stabbed and hospitalized. Investigators said the former client fled and was found dead the next day in an apparent suicide.
Authorities said the violence unfolded around 9 p.m. on Jan. 19 at Down to Earth Therapy Solutions, White’s practice on Lee Road near the Winter Park line. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the former client entered the suite, “demanded to speak with her,” and refused to leave. When White told him to go and her patient said he would call 911, the intruder produced a knife and attacked both, deputies said. The killing has shaken Central Florida’s counseling community and raised fresh questions about security in small private practices that hold evening sessions.
Deputies identified the suspect as Michael Smith, 39, a former client of White’s with prior arrests. The Sheriff’s Office said Smith left the scene after the stabbing. He was located Tuesday morning and pronounced dead of an apparent suicide. Investigators have not announced a detailed motive and said no protective order was on file. Records reviewed by local reporters describe earlier convictions tied to a violent incident more than a decade ago, including sexual battery and kidnapping counts. “This appears to be an isolated incident involving a former therapeutic relationship,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a written update.
Emergency dispatchers received multiple 911 calls as neighboring offices heard shouting. Arriving deputies found White gravely wounded inside the suite and began lifesaving efforts until fire-rescue crews arrived, officials said. The other victim underwent emergency surgery and, as of Tuesday, was expected to recover, according to hospital updates shared with investigators. Detectives collected a knife at the scene, though they have not said whether it was the sole weapon used. No additional victims were reported in the multi-tenant building.
White was a licensed mental health counselor who founded Down to Earth Therapy Solutions in 2022 after earlier work with state agencies and community programs. Clients and colleagues described her as steady and practical, someone who specialized in family counseling and trauma-focused care. Former patients posted tributes recalling sessions that helped them through divorce, grief and postpartum depression. A small memorial of flowers and handwritten notes formed outside the building entrance Tuesday as tenants returned to work under a strip of crime-scene tape that fluttered in a light breeze.
The office sits along a busy commercial corridor where medical and professional suites often run sessions into the evening. Security in such spaces typically relies on shared building doors, interior locks and discretion about schedules. Counselors said in interviews that most practices have safety plans but lack on-site security after normal business hours. They noted that clinicians frequently see former clients for brief check-ins, which can blur how front-desk staff handle unexpected walk-ins when doors are open for appointments.
Investigators said they’re building a minute-by-minute timeline from surveillance video in the complex and from nearby businesses along Lee Road. Detectives are interviewing witnesses, reviewing text and email records, and tracing prior contacts between White and Smith to determine when their therapeutic relationship ended. The Sheriff’s Office said no prior calls for service were logged to the suite in the days leading up to the attack. Crime-scene technicians photographed footprints and swabbed touchpoints on the entry door and reception desk. The timeline indicates White’s client was already seated when Smith arrived and that the struggle occurred inside the therapy room.
Court records reviewed by local outlets show Smith had a criminal history that included a case in South Florida with violent elements. Investigators cautioned that the earlier convictions pre-dated any recent contact with White’s practice, and they have not publicly linked those cases to a motive in Monday’s attack. Deputies said they are also examining whether Smith sought treatment elsewhere in recent months or made contact through phone, email or social media. While officials stressed that no broader threat exists, they said nearby counseling offices were notified about the incident as a precaution.
Legal and procedural steps now move to the medical examiner and the sheriff’s investigative unit. The Orange County medical examiner will determine the official cause and manner of death for White and for Smith, whose death was discovered Tuesday, Jan. 20. Detectives will finish reports that include interviews, collected video, and an evidence inventory. Because the suspected attacker is deceased, prosecutors are not expected to file charges; however, detectives said they will complete a full homicide case file and a separate death investigation for administrative review.
On Tuesday night, colleagues gathered quietly in a nearby parking lot. A counselor who once shared group referrals with White blinked back tears. “She was calm in a crisis,” the counselor said. “People trusted her because she told the truth gently.” Tenants in the building described a routine Monday evening before patrol cars converged on the lot. A manager said maintenance staff replaced a damaged interior lock and would review after-hours access with all suites. Drivers on Lee Road slowed as they passed a cluster of candles arranged beneath a lobby window where a paper sign now reads simply, “Closed in remembrance.”
As of Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Office said the surviving victim remained hospitalized in stable condition while detectives continued to review video and digital records. A memorial service for White has not been announced. Officials said additional updates are expected after autopsy results and the completion of the investigative summary.
Author note: Last updated January 21, 2026.