Authorities traced a rental vehicle from Hudson to Spring Hill after Mandy Fackler disappeared during a confrontation outside her home.
HUDSON, Fla. — A Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy abducted his former girlfriend from outside her Hudson home after a confrontation and later killed her before dying by suicide in Spring Hill, according to Pasco County authorities.
The Aug. 10 case began when 39-year-old Mandy Fackler returned home with her two daughters and encountered 47-year-old Deputy Troy Savetz, authorities said. The confrontation quickly led to a multiagency search after investigators determined that Fackler had been taken from the property in a rental vehicle. About 90 minutes after the incident began, deputies found Fackler and Savetz dead inside that vehicle in Spring Hill.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said Fackler and her daughters, ages 12 and 9, had returned from a day at the beach at about 5:30 p.m. when they found Savetz waiting outside the Hudson home. Authorities described Fackler and Savetz as having had an on-again, off-again relationship. Investigators said an argument followed, with a dispute involving property, including a television, forming part of the confrontation.
Fackler attempted to call 911 during the dispute, but Savetz took her phone, Nocco said. Fackler then directed her daughters to go inside the home and call 911 themselves. The girls followed those instructions and gave dispatchers information about what was happening outside. Authorities said the children were not physically injured.
By the time Pasco County deputies reached the residence, Fackler and Savetz were gone. Deputies found Fackler’s vehicle at the home along with her cellphone, according to investigators. Authorities soon learned that Savetz had access to a rental vehicle and began trying to locate it.
The search expanded beyond the initial Hudson scene. Pasco deputies used aviation resources, drones and K-9 teams, while other law enforcement agencies were notified. Investigators eventually received information placing the rental vehicle in the 16800 block of Platinum Drive in Spring Hill.
A deputy located the vehicle at about 7 p.m. Authorities knew Savetz was armed and did not know his condition, so a drone was used before deputies approached. Investigators said the drone showed two people inside. Deputies then moved closer and found both Fackler and Savetz dead.
Authorities determined that Savetz had killed Fackler before dying by suicide. Investigators initially said they were still working to establish precisely when and where Fackler was killed after she was taken from Hudson. Officials classified the deaths as a murder-suicide and said the broader investigation was continuing as detectives reconstructed the sequence of events.
Savetz had worked for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office for about 14 years and was assigned to its marine unit at the time of the killing, according to law enforcement. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri condemned Savetz’s actions and said his status as a deputy did not excuse or lessen the seriousness of what investigators determined he had done.
The case left Fackler’s two daughters without their mother after they witnessed the beginning of the confrontation. Authorities said the girls were placed in the care of their biological father. Officials praised them for following their mother’s instructions and providing information to emergency dispatchers during the unfolding incident.
Friends later identified Fackler publicly and remembered her as a creative and compassionate mother who was deeply involved in her daughters’ lives. Their accounts shifted some of the public attention from the circumstances of her death to the life she had built with her children and the family left behind.
Authorities have said Savetz was responsible for Fackler’s killing. Because Savetz also died, no criminal prosecution will follow. Investigators have continued documenting the events surrounding the abduction and deaths as they complete the case timeline.
Author note: Last updated August 16, 2026.