FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Authorities are investigating a deadly series of incidents spanning Fort Lauderdale and Sarasota that have left seven people dead in what appears to be connected crimes.
Fort Lauderdale Police responded Tuesday afternoon to a wellness check at a home on Northeast 15th Avenue. Inside, officers discovered the bodies of a man and a woman. While their identities have not yet been released, investigators say there may be a connection to another deadly incident that occurred more than 200 miles away in Sarasota earlier the same day.
In Sarasota, deputies responded to reports of shots fired. When they arrived, neighbors were performing CPR on a man in the front yard, who was pronounced dead shortly afterward. When entering the home, deputies found four more victims — two men and two women — dead inside.
The suspect, 51-year-old Russell Kot, was found dead at the Sarasota home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. His vehicle, which was spotted on camera traveling through Punta Gorda, helped authorities link the Fort Lauderdale and Sarasota incidents.
The Sarasota victims have been identified as:
- Olga Greinert, 49
- Florita Stolyar, 66
- Anatoly Ioffe, 61
- Yaroslav Blyudoy, 39
Investigators say the suspect had previously been in a romantic relationship with one of the Fort Lauderdale victims. Authorities are still examining connections between the victims in both locations, though the motive for targeting all six victims remains unclear.
Fort Lauderdale Police emphasized that there is no ongoing threat to the public, and the investigation into the timeline and circumstances of both incidents continues.
This tragic series of events has left communities in Fort Lauderdale and Sarasota reeling as authorities work to uncover the full details.
