He killed her.
Then he killed himself.
After nearly five months, the Bradenton Beach Police Department’s investigation into the Oct. 16, 2020, deaths of Sabrina Dumdei, 37, and Zachary Winton, 34, has ended.
BBPD Detective Sgt. Lenard Diaz’s conclusion: Winton murdered Dumdei and then committed suicide.
Diaz released a final report March 5 detailing the 140-day investigation, establishing causes of death for the pair and providing the first insight into the case since last October, when they died.
The investigation began when the bodies of Dumdei and Winton were discovered and reported to police Oct. 17, 2020, by Dumdei’s father, Keith, in a rental unit the two shared at 2514 Ave. C.
Diaz then called the case a “probable murder-suicide” after reviewing the crime scene, where blood could be seen spattered on a broken porch chair and sliding-glass doors.
According to an autopsy conducted by the 12th District Medical Examiners Office, Dumdei’s body was found with numerous incision and stab wounds on her head, neck and torso, as well as notable blunt impact injuries.
The autopsy lists Dumdei’s cause of death as “incised wounds of the neck” and determined her death was a homicide: “Cut by other person with box cutter.”
The box cutter was the only weapon used, and the investigation determined the pair were alone during the incident, according to the report.
Winton’s body was found in the bedroom on the bed with incision wounds on his neck, arms and torso, as well as blunt impact injuries, including a subgaleal hemorrhage.
Lt. John Cosby, who responded to the scene with Diaz, reportedly stated at the scene, “It appeared that Winton had taken his own life by a self-inflicted cut to his left wrist.”
The MEO’s autopsy listed Winton’s cause of death as “incised wounds of the neck and upper extremity.” His death was a suicide: “Cut self with box cutter.”
Both Dumdei and Winton had high blood/alcohol levels at the time of their deaths, according to the MEO’s toxicology reports.
Dumdei registered 0.32 and 0.37 grams of ethanol per deciliter of blood in two blood/alcohol level tests.
Winton registered 0.24 and 0.31 grams of ethanol per deciliter of blood in two tests.
In comparison, the legal blood/alcohol content limit for driving a vehicle is 0.08 in Florida.
As backup arrived, Diaz cordoned off the scene with police tape and called the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office crime scene unit and the MEO.
Diaz first spoke with Dumdei’s family members, who were at the scene with Keith Dumdei.
The family had set out to visit the beach before checking on the pair at the request of Winton’s sister, Wendy, who couldn’t reach them after receiving concerning voicemails from her brother overnight.
Afterward, Diaz set about interviewing neighbors and potential witnesses.
Several neighbors told Diaz that Winton and Dumdei could be heard arguing almost every day leading up to the incident, including numerous instances where the pair would loudly argue in public while walking Dumdei’s dog along Avenue C.
Another neighbor, Christie Homan, told Diaz she had seen Winton get physical and grab Dumdei during an argument along the roadway two days before the bodies were discovered.
Diaz acquired video from a property across the street that captured two instances of Dumdei’s Yorkshire terrier walking by itself in the rental unit’s driveway around 1:44 a.m. and 5:25 a.m. Oct. 17, 2020.
Dumdei’s family told Diaz that “the dog never left Sabrina’s side” and would not be let outside alone, according to the report.
Dumdei’s family found the dog outside and recovered it when they arrived at the rental unit.
The report also states that Wendy Winton received three calls from her brother 7-9 p.m. Oct. 16, 2020. The last call included a voicemail that is apparently the last time Winton or Dumdei were known to be alive.
According to the report, “The message was a voice message of Sabrina, yelling at Zachary, that he was the one that was going to have to leave.”
The voicemail was not disclosed as public record until the investigation concluded.
Diaz’s report also states, “It is known that Dumdei was moving into another apartment without Winton in a couple of weeks. This was apparently part of the latest arguments that they were having.”
The couple had been involved in multiple domestic incidents leading up to the discovery of their bodies, but the pair dropped charges against each other following each instance, with neither remaining in police custody for long.
Last August, Winton reportedly held a knife to Dumdei’s throat and threatened her life. He was charged with four felony counts for aggravated assault of his partner with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, battery, false imprisonment and tampering with a witness.
However, Winton denied the allegations and was released Sept. 1, 2020, after posting a $16,000 bail. The case remained open at the time they died.
Diaz told The Islander March 5 that changes need to be made to how domestic violence and abuse are handled in America.
“It was definitely all building to this,” Diaz said. “I don’t want to say who to blame, but I feel like our system needs to get tougher on domestic violence. …It happens too often. This has to be taken more seriously.”
Diaz said it was frustrating to see this happen, given the pair’s history of domestic incidents.
“With everything in my officer’s report when he arrested (Winton), he shouldn’t have been able to get out regardless of whether she wanted to drop the case or not,” Diaz said. He said the couple was on the balcony and Winton was walking toward Dumdei with a knife in his hand.
“That could have been the day she died, if my officer didn’t show up when he did.”
While Diaz called the case a “probable murder-suicide” after reviewing the scene — an assessment that was backed by the medical examiner’s review of the scene — he said the investigation lasted 140 days because of the conditions at the scene.
“There was just so much blood everywhere that I don’t think I’ll ever really know exactly what happened,” he said.
Diaz said he sent five blood swabs from the rental unit to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to determine whose blood was spilled were in an attempt to understand movement through the apartment.
He told The Islander that, in the end, he believed most of the blood spattered across the unit was from Dumdei as she attempted to run away and fight against Winton.
“A lot of the wait also had to do with documentation and loading all the evidence into reports,” Diaz said. “But to finally finish it and type it up. …It’s kind of nice to put it to rest.”
Friends and family of the pair have not responded to The Islander’s inquiries.
Get help, how to help
If you or someone you know needs help due to domestic violence, the nationwide National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-SAFE.
The statewide hotline is 800-500-1119.
In Manatee County, the hotline for HOPE Family Services is 941-755-6805.
In an emergency, call 911.
To reach out to local law enforcement in a non-emergency, call the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, which polices Anna Maria, at 941-747-3011, the Holmes Beach Police Department at 941-778-0791 and the BBPD at 941-778-0791.
