The girls followed Mandy Fackler’s instructions and helped alert authorities before their mother was taken away and killed, officials said.
HUDSON, Fla. — Mandy Fackler had just returned home from the beach with her two daughters when a confrontation with her former boyfriend began outside the house. As the situation escalated, authorities say the 39-year-old mother made one decision that helped protect her children: She sent them inside to call 911.
The girls, ages 12 and 9, did what their mother told them to do. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said they contacted emergency dispatchers and provided information while Fackler remained outside with Troy Savetz, a 47-year-old Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy with whom authorities said she had an on-again, off-again relationship. Savetz then abducted Fackler, authorities said. The two were later found dead in a rental vehicle in Spring Hill.
The confrontation began at about 5:30 p.m. Aug. 10 after Fackler and her daughters arrived at their Hudson home following a day at the beach. Savetz was waiting outside, according to investigators. Authorities said the pair began arguing over property, including a television.
Investigators said Fackler tried to call 911 herself, but Savetz took her phone. She then told the children to go inside and contact authorities. Their call gave deputies information about what was happening and helped law enforcement begin its response, officials said.
Pasco deputies arrived to find the girls safe inside the residence. Fackler’s vehicle remained outside and her cellphone was found at the property, but Fackler and Savetz were gone. Investigators learned that Savetz had rented another vehicle, prompting authorities to begin searching for it.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office deployed aviation personnel, drones and K-9 teams as the search expanded. Other agencies also were alerted. Investigators eventually developed information that led them to the 16800 block of Platinum Drive in Spring Hill, where a deputy located the rental vehicle at about 7 p.m.
Because authorities knew Savetz was armed and did not know what they would encounter inside the vehicle, deputies first used a drone to examine it. The drone showed two people inside, authorities said. Deputies then approached and found Fackler and Savetz dead.
Investigators concluded that Savetz killed Fackler and then died by suicide. Authorities said they were working to determine the exact point at which the killing occurred after Fackler was taken from her home. The case was classified as a murder-suicide.
Nocco later focused publicly on the actions of Fackler and her daughters during the first moments of the emergency. He said investigators who heard the 911 call knew Fackler had instructed the girls to get inside and seek help. Officials credited the children with following those directions during an extraordinarily dangerous situation.
The girls were not physically injured and were later placed in the care of their biological father, authorities said. Their mother’s actions became a central part of the public account of the case because she separated the children from the confrontation before she was taken away.
Friends who spoke publicly after Fackler’s death described her as a devoted mother, artist and compassionate friend. They said she had a close relationship with her daughters and was known for helping people around her. One friend described Fackler and the girls as an especially close trio, while others remembered her for her creativity, humor and willingness to support people in difficult circumstances.
Savetz had served with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for about 14 years and was assigned to the marine unit. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri condemned the killing, stressing that Savetz’s employment as a deputy did not change the criminal nature of the conduct investigators attributed to him.
With Savetz dead, there will be no criminal case against him. Pasco County investigators have continued documenting the events surrounding Fackler’s abduction and death, while her daughters remain with family after losing their mother.
Author note: Last updated August 16, 2026.