Detectives say the same suspect is linked to two homes more than 200 miles apart.
SARASOTA, FL — Authorities on Wednesday identified five people found dead at a home in a gated Sarasota community, saying the shooting deaths were connected to a double homicide discovered the same day in Fort Lauderdale. Investigators said the suspected shooter, 51-year-old Russell Kot, also died at the Sarasota scene.
Law enforcement officials described the cases as a fast-moving, cross-state investigation that left seven people dead in two crime scenes on opposite sides of Florida. Detectives said Kot had a prior romantic relationship with one of the Fort Lauderdale victims and that person had connections to the Sarasota victims. Officials said there is no ongoing threat to the public as investigators work to confirm a timeline, a motive and how the victims were connected.
Deputies in Sarasota County were called shortly after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday to a home in the Amberlea neighborhood near Proctor Road and McIntosh Road after a neighbor reported a man had been shot outside. When deputies arrived, neighbors were giving CPR to the wounded homeowner, Anatoly Ioffe, 61, authorities said. Ioffe was moved away from the house as deputies held a perimeter and tried to determine whether a shooter was still inside. He later died. Deputies then entered the home and found four more bodies, including Kot, and began working to identify each person. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office later identified the other three victims as Olga Greinert, 49; Florita Stolyar, 66; and Yaroslav Blyudoy, 39.
Across the state in Fort Lauderdale, police officers responding to a request for a well-being check found two adults dead inside a home in the Victoria Park neighborhood, authorities said. The Fort Lauderdale Police Department identified the victims as Larisa Blyudaya, 46, and Ben Azivov, 18, both residents of the city. As Sarasota detectives tried to sort out what happened in Amberlea, Fort Lauderdale investigators shared information that helped connect the two scenes, including details about a vehicle believed to be involved. Officials said surveillance video showed the suspect’s vehicle entering the Sarasota neighborhood and that audio from neighborhood security cameras captured the sound of gunfire shortly afterward. Investigators said those records were among the clues that linked the deaths in the two cities, even as many basic questions remained unanswered.
Authorities said the motive for the Sarasota killings is still unknown. In a written statement, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office said “the suspect’s motivation for targeting the Sarasota victims is unknown,” adding that detectives were still interviewing witnesses and reviewing video. Officials said the case involves personal relationships that stretched from South Florida to the Gulf Coast, but they have not publicly explained what triggered the violence or why the Sarasota home was targeted. Investigators also have not said when the Fort Lauderdale victims were killed, only when their bodies were found, nor have they described whether any of the victims tried to flee or call for help. Officials said they are working to reconstruct a minute-by-minute timeline using dispatch records, camera footage and forensic evidence from both homes.
The Sarasota neighborhood where the shooting happened is a gated community of single-family homes, and deputies said the first sign of trouble was the victim outside the residence. Neighbors told dispatchers they heard a loud boom and then saw blood, according to emergency call descriptions reported by local outlets. Investigators said the scene was secured before deputies entered the home because they did not know whether the shooter was still inside, a step that slowed the search for other victims but was meant to keep first responders safe. Once inside, detectives found multiple bodies and began notifying next of kin. Authorities did not immediately say where each victim was found in the home, what type of weapon was used or whether the suspect legally owned the gun.
In Fort Lauderdale, detectives treated the deaths as an isolated incident for local residents while they coordinated with Sarasota investigators, officials said. The home where Blyudaya and Azivov were found is in an established neighborhood near downtown Fort Lauderdale. Police have not said how the two were related, but Sarasota investigators said Kot had been in a prior romantic relationship with Blyudaya and that her connections were part of what tied the cases together. Authorities said information from Fort Lauderdale helped Sarasota detectives identify a suspect quickly, and they used traffic and surveillance records to track the vehicle’s movement across the state. Investigators said the suspect’s vehicle was seen traveling northbound through Punta Gorda in the hours before the Sarasota shooting, a detail that supported the cross-state link.
The shootings shook residents in both communities, where police presence expanded quickly as investigators worked through the scenes. In Sarasota, patrol vehicles blocked access roads while detectives, crime scene technicians and medical examiners moved in and out of the gated entrance. Some neighbors stood outside in small groups, watching quietly as officers asked questions and taped off the property. In Fort Lauderdale, officers remained at the Victoria Park home as detectives processed the interior and spoke with neighbors. One sheriff’s official said the Sarasota scene showed no signs of an ongoing danger once deputies confirmed the suspect was dead, but investigators still treated the home as a major crime scene, documenting evidence room by room.
Authorities said the next steps include autopsies for each victim, ballistics testing, and a fuller accounting of how the victims knew each other. Detectives are also expected to review phone records and digital communications as they try to map the suspect’s movements and contacts before the killings. Officials said they will continue to share information between agencies as they work to confirm the sequence of events, including whether the Fort Lauderdale homicides happened before the suspect drove across the state. No criminal charges are expected because the suspect is dead, but investigators said they will complete the case file and provide findings to prosecutors. Officials have not announced a public briefing time, but they said additional information could be released as family members are notified and investigative leads are confirmed.
By Wednesday evening, authorities said they had identified the dead at both crime scenes and were still working to clarify what led to the violence. Investigators said they do not believe there is a broader public safety threat, and they expect more details to emerge after autopsies and video review are completed.
Author note: Last updated Feb. 11, 2026.