Authorities praised the children, ages 9 and 12, for following their mother’s directions as an armed confrontation unfolded outside their home.
HUDSON, Fla. — Two children followed their mother’s order to run inside and call 911 as an armed sheriff’s deputy confronted her outside their Pasco County home Monday, beginning a kidnapping investigation that ended with the woman and the deputy dead, authorities said.
Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco said the children, ages 9 and 12, had returned from a beach trip with their mother when they encountered Pinellas County sheriff’s Deputy Troy Savetz at the Hudson property. Investigators said Savetz, the woman’s former boyfriend, was armed and arguing with her over property. She directed her children to get away from the confrontation and contact authorities before Savetz left with her in a rental car.
Deputies received the initial call about 5:35 p.m. in the Phyllis Lane area, according to the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. The incident was first reported as an aggravated assault and was later updated to a kidnapping. By the time deputies reached the home, Savetz and the woman were gone.
The children were not physically injured, authorities said. Nocco commended them during a news conference for listening to their mother and calling 911 as instructed. Officials said the children were later with their biological father. The woman’s identity had not been released publicly as of Tuesday morning.
Deputies tried several times to contact Savetz by phone before beginning a wider search, the sheriff’s office said. Investigators eventually found Savetz and the woman inside a rental vehicle in the 16800 block of Platinum Drive in Spring Hill, several miles from the Hudson area where the confrontation began. Both had died from gunshot wounds.
Authorities are investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide. Nocco and Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Savetz killed his former girlfriend before dying by suicide. Investigators had not publicly established the precise time of either shooting as of Tuesday morning, leaving part of the timeline between the kidnapping report and discovery of the vehicle unresolved.
Savetz, 47, had served with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for about 14 years and was most recently assigned to its marine unit, Gualtieri said. He had previously worked for the St. Louis Police Department. Authorities described Savetz and the woman as having an on-again, off-again relationship.
Gualtieri said the immediate dispute involved Savetz wanting a television set returned, while acknowledging that the conflict between the former couple was broader than the property disagreement itself. Officials did not announce a definitive motive beyond the circumstances surrounding Monday’s confrontation, and investigators were continuing to examine what happened.
The sheriffs also rejected any distinction between Savetz’s conduct and that of another suspect because he worked in law enforcement. Officials said his position as a deputy did not excuse or diminish the alleged kidnapping or the killing. They said the children were placed in danger despite investigators’ belief that Savetz did not intend to harm them.
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office said the episode was isolated and that there was no continuing danger to the community. The investigation remained active Tuesday, with authorities yet to release the woman’s name or a more detailed chronology of the final minutes before deputies located the rental car in Spring Hill.
Author note: Last updated August 11, 2026.