Bradenton Beach police are still working to unravel the truth behind the deaths of two residents.
The District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office conducted autopsies Oct. 19 on the bodies of Sabrina Dumdei, 37, and Zachary Winton, 34, but did not release results as of Oct. 28 due to the ongoing investigation into the “probable” murder-suicide.
Detective Sgt. Lenard Diaz, who is leading the Bradenton Beach Police Department investigation, has not disclosed any new details about the case since confirming the identities of Dumdei and Winton.
The pair had a history of domestic abuse and violence, but uncertainty around the case remains due to unanswered questions:
- When did the incident occur?
- What weapons were used?
- Where were the bodies found within the apartment?
In the meantime, here’s what The Islander knows:
At about 2:30 p.m. Oct. 17, Dumdei’s father, Keith, called the BBPD to report that he found the bodies of his daughter and her roommate at their residence, a mostly empty unit in a triplex at 2514 Ave. C.
Dumdei’s father told police that when he failed to reach his daughter by phone, he drove to the home she shared with Winton. When he saw her body on the floor inside, he broke the window on the door and entered.
BBPD Chief Sam Speciale, who lives a block over on Avenue B, was the first official to respond, following a neighbor to the triplex after being told of the deaths.
Speciale said he knew Dumdei as a family friend who’d worked for his wife in the past at a hair salon she owned.
Bradenton Beach resident Patty Shay told The Islander she walked by the scene after Speciale arrived and heard Dumdei’s mother, Mary, say, “My daughter and her boyfriend just killed each other.”
Diaz and BBPD officers Steve Masi and Devon Straight responded around 2:40 p.m. and cordoned the property.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit arrived around 2:50 p.m. and began placing evidence markers and photographing the scene.
The couple’s former landlords, who reportedly sold the triplex Oct. 16, arrived around 4 p.m. and spoke with officers.
From the street, a broken, blood-spattered chair was visible on the balcony of the second-floor apartment shared by the couple. Blood also could be seen splashed across a sliding door, the window blinds behind the chair and smeared on another door.
Police confirmed the bodies inside.
Speciale told The Islander there was too much blood to know what happened without autopsies.
“It was a gruesome scene,” Diaz said. “Probably the worst I’ve seen in my 30 years.”
Employees from the medical examiner’s office removed the bodies from the residence about 10 p.m.
Diaz said no neighbors reported witnessing the incident.
History
Dumdei and Winton had been involved in several domestic incidents in recent months.
She was arrested July 19 for misdemeanor battery after allegedly striking Winton repeatedly in the chest during an incident in Bradenton.
A probable cause affidavit states, “Mr. Winton reported that they were arguing while sitting on the porch when Ms. Dumdei threw a can at him. He was struck on the lip and he suffered a small laceration, as well as some swelling.” He added that she punched him several times in the chest “with a closed fist.”
Winton didn’t press charges and Dumdei was released. The case was dropped July 23.
Winton was arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery Aug. 10 after striking Dumdei during an altercation.
A probable cause affidavit reads, “During the course of the argument, the defendant struck the victim on the right eye with a closed fist in a backhanded motion.”
“As a result of this incident, the victim sustained broken blood vessels to the right eye, as well as a large bruise which extends from the eyebrow to the bridge of the nose and also covers the right cheek.”
Dumdei did not pursue charges against Winton, but asked that an injunction be filed on her behalf, according to the affidavit.
Winton entered a not guilty plea and was released after posting bond, which was later disposed. The state attorney’s office dropped the charges Aug. 24.
The next incident was Aug. 31, when Winton was arrested on four felonies — aggravated assault of his partner with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, battery, false imprisonment and tampering with a witness.
The BBPD’s report states, “Victim stated Winton refused to let her leave the house or his sight by threats of violence. She felt confined. Defendant then grabbed her by the face and held a razor knife to her neck and said, ‘Leave and see what happens.’ Victim had a well-founded fear that Winton had the ability to carry out such a threat and that it would take place.”
The report continues, “Victim stated defendant would not allow her to use the phone, but only to call his sister, as he hindered or delayed her from making any other calls. Victim finally got away and made the call to 911 dispatch but had to hang up in the middle of the call, as defendant had found her and once again put her in fear of violence. Upon my arrival, defendant was yelling and walking at victim with a large kitchen knife I observed in his right back pocket.”
“While detained in the police department, Winton made numerous threatening remarks about what he was going to do to victim when he gets out, such as ‘I will kill her. She’s gonna pay. If I get charged with felonies, I’ll kill her then myself. I will cut her throat.’”
Winton denied the allegations and was released Sept. 1 after posting a $16,000 bail, and the case remained open.
Winton was instructed not to contact Dumdei, but Winton’s attorney filed a motion Sept. 9 for consensual contact, stating that his client had no previous felony charges and no history of physical violence.
Judge Lon Arend of the 12th Judicial Circuit Court granted a motion Sept. 15 to lift the no-contact order.
The BBPD was most recently dispatched to the home Oct. 12 — less than a week before the couple’s death — after Dumdei called to report that Winton took her keys and she felt threatened.
However, when officers arrived, Dumdei told them assistance wasn’t needed and police left.
The aftermath
Waves of support for the grieving Dumdei family followed news of the deaths.
By Oct. 19, neighbors had created a memorial for Dumdei outside the triplex, with stuffed animals, flowers, balloons, a cross and a framed photo of Dumdei.
Dumdei’s sister, Crystal, started a GoFundMe fundraiser — “Sabrina Dumdei” — to help the family raise funds for funeral costs and other expenses.
“We are starting this gofundme to help her family in this time of need with funeral costs and all other expenses. Sabrina was a kind, beautiful, funny, loving, caring, smart woman with a heart of gold. This is an extremely difficult time for her loved ones, and every little thing helps. Thank you for all of your support and love, God bless,” the fundraiser’s description states.
As of Oct. 24, the fundraiser had $11,130 of its $30,000 goal from 100 donors and the GoFundMe page had 757 shares.
Also, Facebook user Jesse Shelease Rittenhouse posted Oct. 22 that she was working with an attorney to create a “Sabrina Dumdei Foundation” to “raise tax-free donations to help women’s shelters and to raise awareness against domestic violence in Brina’s memory. We hope and pray that this foundation will help save other women in similar situations while carrying on Brina’s name and legacy with dignity and honor.”
In other news, Speciale told The Islander Oct. 22 that the property’s new landlords notified him that they plan to demolish the house due to the deaths.