Investigators said there is no ongoing threat to neighbors in The Lake Club community.
LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. — Deputies investigating a welfare check at a Lakewood Ranch home late Thursday found a 44-year-old mother and her two children, ages 14 and 11, dead inside, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.
The sheriff’s office said early information indicates the children died from homicidal violence and the mother later died in the home. Detectives described the scene as violent and said the deaths appear limited to the family, with no broader danger to the community. The investigation remained active Friday as deputies processed the residence, reviewed evidence and awaited the medical examiner’s official determinations.
Deputies were sent to a home in the 8200 block of Pavia Way around 8:30 p.m. Thursday after relatives raised concerns when they could not reach the people inside, authorities said. A sheriff’s office spokesman, Randy Warren, said the request came from the children’s father and the woman’s husband, who was in South America at the time. He told investigators he had been unable to contact anyone at the house, prompting the welfare check.
When deputies arrived, they observed conditions that suggested something was seriously wrong, Warren said, and entered the home. Inside, they found the two children in separate rooms and the mother in another room. Warren said all three had traumatic injuries. He declined Friday to describe the method of death, saying detectives were still documenting evidence and the medical examiner would provide the official cause and manner.
Investigators said they believe the mother killed the children before taking her own life. Warren said the children were 14 and 11, and that the older child was a boy and the younger a girl. Deputies did not release the family’s names Friday, saying relatives needed time to notify additional family members, including some who live outside the United States. The sheriff’s office said it expected to release the names Saturday after notifications were complete.
Authorities said deputies had not previously been dispatched to the address and were not aware of prior law-enforcement calls to the home. Warren said the family moved to Lakewood Ranch about three years ago from Missouri. He described the situation as “unimaginable” for investigators and relatives, and said deputies were working to understand what led up to the deaths.
Detectives spent Friday continuing to process the home in The Lake Club subdivision, a gated community in eastern Manatee County near University Parkway. Investigators photographed and mapped the interior, collected evidence and interviewed people who might have had contact with the family in recent days. Warren said the sheriff’s office was also reviewing digital and physical records as part of the effort to build a timeline.
Warren said investigators had not confirmed publicly whether a note was left. He added that detectives saw indications suggesting the act was not impulsive. “There was some planning involved,” Warren said, adding that evidence pointed to the mother understanding what she was doing. He did not provide details about what evidence supported that assessment, saying disclosure could affect the continuing investigation.
Neighbors in the Lakewood Ranch area woke Friday to a large law-enforcement presence and news that three people, including two children, were dead in the community. Deputies said they worked to limit access near the residence while investigators remained at the scene. Authorities repeated Friday that everyone believed to be involved had been accounted for and that there was no continuing threat to nearby residents.
The Lake Club’s homeowners’ association issued a written statement offering condolences. “Our hearts are with the family and all those affected during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement said. The group said it would not provide further comment while the case remained under investigation.
Lakewood Ranch is a large planned community that spans parts of Manatee and Sarasota counties and includes multiple neighborhoods, parks and schools. In recent days, the area has seen heightened attention to welfare-check calls after a separate incident last week in a nearby part of Lakewood Ranch led to the discovery of gunshot victims during another welfare check, though authorities have not suggested the cases are connected.
Investigators said their next steps include completing evidence collection, confirming timelines and obtaining the medical examiner’s findings. The sheriff’s office said it would share additional details once key facts are verified and family notifications are complete, and emphasized that the circumstances leading to the deaths remain under review.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 27, 2026.