Authorities said the woman’s two children called 911 after their mother told them to run inside during the confrontation.
SPRING HILL, FL — A Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy kidnapped and fatally shot his former girlfriend, a mother of two, before dying by suicide after a confrontation outside her Hudson home Monday evening, according to Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco and Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.
Authorities identified the deputy as 47-year-old Troy Savetz, a 14-year veteran of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office who was assigned to its Marine Unit. Investigators said Savetz and the woman had been in an on-again, off-again relationship. Her name had not been publicly released as of Tuesday. Pasco County investigators said the case began as a domestic dispute and reported kidnapping before ending with both adults found dead inside a rented vehicle in Spring Hill.
The confrontation began about 5:30 p.m. Aug. 10 after the woman returned to her Hudson home with her two children, ages 9 and 12, following a trip to the beach, authorities said. Savetz was waiting in the yard, and the two began arguing over property, including a television he wanted returned. Officials said Savetz was armed during the confrontation.
The woman tried to call 911, but investigators said Savetz took the phone from her. She then told her children to go inside the house and call for help. The children followed her instructions and spoke with emergency dispatchers, providing information about what was happening outside and identifying Savetz as a Pinellas County deputy. Neither child was physically injured.
Pasco County deputies arrived and found the children inside the home, but Savetz and the woman were gone. Investigators said the woman’s vehicle and cellphone remained at the residence. Authorities learned that Savetz had a rental vehicle and began searching for it while notifying other law enforcement agencies in the region.
Investigators eventually received location information that led them to the 16800 block of Platinum Drive in Spring Hill. Because authorities believed Savetz was armed and did not know what they would encounter, deputies used a drone before approaching the rental vehicle. The drone showed two people inside, according to local authorities.
Deputies approached the vehicle and found Savetz and the woman dead from gunshot wounds at about 7 p.m. Investigators believe Savetz shot and killed the woman and then died by suicide. Nocco said Monday night that investigators were still working to determine exactly when and where the fatal shooting of the woman occurred.
Nocco praised the children for following their mother’s directions and remaining on the phone with dispatchers during the emergency. Speaking about the children during the news conference, he told them, “You did the right thing.” Authorities said the children were later placed in the care of their biological father.
Gualtieri condemned Savetz’s actions and said his position as a deputy did not lessen the seriousness of what happened. “The moment this individual committed a crime, he was no longer a law enforcement officer. He was a criminal,” he said. Gualtieri said Savetz had worked for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for about 14 years and had previous law enforcement experience with the St. Louis Police Department.
Authorities described the relationship between Savetz and the woman as tumultuous and said the immediate confrontation involved a television, but investigators had not announced a broader motive beyond the relationship dispute. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office continued to investigate the kidnapping and deaths Tuesday, including the sequence and location of the shootings. The victim’s identity remained withheld.
Author note: Last updated August 11, 2026.