Agency says altercation preceded deaths
The Sarasota Police Department is investigating the deaths of two men, ages 32 and 50, who “were involved in an altercation at a rental property on Lido Key,” the agency reported on Sept. 3.
In an update issued just before 5 p.m. on Sept. 5, the Police Department said, “Following the autopsies conducted by the [District 12] Medical Examiner’s Office, it has been determined that the cause of death for both adult males” was the infliction of knife wounds.
About midafternoon on Sept. 3, the department announced that the Medical Examiner’s Office had identified the victims, so Police Department personnel were “in the process of notifying their families.”
Jan Thornburg, general manager of the City of Sarasota’s Communications Department, told The Sarasota News Leader via email on Sept. 5 that the incident occurred in a condominium. The News Leader had inquired about rental homes on Lido Key, as the city maintains a registry of such facilities on the barrier islands and on the mainland.
In a follow-up email on Sept. 5, Thornburg wrote, “Currently, there are 141 registered [vacation rental] properties on the barrier islands. Of those properties, 104 of them are located on Lido Key.”
The initial Police Department news release about the deaths — issued just after 10 a.m. on Sept. 3 — explained that personnel were investigating an incident that had occurred near the 700 block of South Boulevard of the Presidents, involving two adult male victims. “This incident appears to be isolated,” that release added, noting that the public was in no danger.
Anyone with information related to the deaths was asked to call the agency’s non-emergency number at 941-316-1199, or to leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers by calling 941-366-TIPS or by going online to www.sarasotacrimestoppers.com.
Then, at 3:25 p.m. on Sept. 3, another department news release said, “We want to reassure the community that this was an isolated incident, and that there is no danger to the public. All involved parties have been identified and accounted for. The victims knew each other, and worked together. The investigation is active and ongoing, and we are working diligently to gather all relevant facts.”
That update added, “To protect the integrity of the investigation, we are unable to share further details at this time. We will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
The final update that day — issued at 5:08 p.m. — pointed out, “The Sarasota Police Department is committed to a thorough and transparent investigation. We understand the community’s concern and are working diligently to gather all the facts. As always, we urge everyone to rely on official communications from our department to avoid the spread of unverified information.”
That release also noted, “We will continue to provide updates as more verified information becomes available.”