A Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy killed his former girlfriend and then himself late Monday after what was described as an argument that escalated into a kidnapping and murder in Pasco County.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco identified the deputy as Troy Savetz. He and the woman were found dead Monday night in a car on Platinum Drive in Spring Hill. Savetz shot the woman before shooting himself.
The home where they were found is roughly 6 miles from the woman’s home, where Savetz assaulted and abducted her late Monday afternoon.
Two children, 9 and 12 years old, were present when Savetz began to argue with their mother, Nocco said. The kids ran into their house and called 911 before Savetz left with the woman.
“I just ask that everybody pray for them tonight,” Nocco said.
Nocco recounted the events that preceded the violence in a late-night news conference with Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.
The woman, whose name was not released, took her two children to the beach Monday. They returned about 5:30 p.m. to their home on Phyllis Lane in Hudson.
As they pulled up to their house, they saw Savetz, whom Nocco said was the woman’s ex-boyfriend. He and the woman began to argue over some of his belongings, the sheriff said. Savetz wanted his TV back.
The woman tried to call 911, but Savetz took the phone out of her hands, Nocco said. She then told her children to go in the house and call 911.
The children did as they were told. One of them spoke with a dispatcher. The girl identified Savetz as the suspect and told the dispatcher he was a Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy, Nocco said.
“The child was absolutely extremely brave in what she did and what she said,” Nocco said.
Pasco County deputies arrived shortly thereafter. They did not know where Savetz and the woman were, but they saw her truck outside. The truck’s door was open, and her phone was nearby. The deputies secured the house and the children.
Deputies learned that Savetz was driving a rental car. Word went out to surrounding law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for the car. At about 7 p.m., a ping to another cellphone led another deputy to a home on Platinum Drive in Spring Hill, roughly 6 miles from where the first incident occurred. There, they found the rental car.
The sheriff’s office used drones to look at the car. Inside, they saw the woman and Savetz. Both were dead.
Investigators learned that someone else saw Savetz driving down a street sometime after the 911 call. The other person, apparently unaware of the situation, exchanged a thumbs up with Savetz, Nocco said.
“It was shortly after that the suspect took his own life,” Nocco said. “We’re not sure when at what point the suspect had killed the victim.”
The children were placed in the care of their biological father, Nocco said. He praised the children for their calmness throughout the situation and the information they provided to the dispatcher.
Gualtieri said Savetz, 47, had worked for his office for 14 years. He was assigned to the sheriff’s marine unit. He previously worked for the St. Louis Police Department.
“It’s just a very horrific situation, to say the least,” Gualtieri said.
“Our heart goes out to her family, to those kids,” Gualtieri said. “There’s nothing we can say other than it’s awful. We feel for them. Everybody will be here as a community to do whatever they can for them. But we can’t replace their mom.”
Gualtieri said there was little else he could say about what Savetz did.
“Mental health issues are a problem,” he said. “But you don’t kill somebody and take your own life. It’s inexcusable.”
