Seven People Dead in Fort Lauderdale-Sarasota Crime — Details

A routine welfare check in Fort Lauderdale's upscale Victoria Park neighborhood on Tuesday afternoon uncovered a scene that would set off a multi-city investigation.

What police found inside a third-floor condo on Northeast 15th Avenue was just the beginning. The real horror was still unfolding 150 miles south.

A Troubling Discovery in Victoria Park, Fort Lauderdale

Officers discovered 46-year-old Larisa Blyudaya and her son, 18-year-old Ben Azizov, both dead inside the residence. The mother and son had been murdered.

But as investigators processed the crime scene in Fort Lauderdale, they had no idea that the killer had already left the city hours earlier. And he wasn't finished.

Gunshots in Amberlea and a Desperate Fight to Save a Life

Around 11 a.m. that same morning in Sarasota County's quiet Amberlea neighborhood, a woman heard a loud boom. She thought someone had dropped something heavy.

She went about her day, not thinking much of it. But roughly 40 minutes later, she stepped outside her front door, and her world tilted.

A man was lying in her neighbor's yard, bleeding heavily. The woman immediately dropped to her knees and began performing CPR.

"I think my neighbor's been shot," she told the 911 dispatcher in the frantic audio later released by authorities. As she pumped his chest, she added: "There's blood all over his stomach."

The man was 61-year-old Anatoly "Tony" Ioffe. Video footage would later reveal he had just arrived home and approached his front door when he was shot. Despite the neighbor's efforts, Tony was pronounced dead shortly after paramedics arrived.

What Deputies Found Inside

When Sarasota County deputies entered the home near Proctor and McIntosh roads, the scene was far worse than anyone expected. Three more bodies lay inside the residence.

Tony's wife, 66-year-old Florita "Rita" Stolyar, had been shot to death. So had their son, 39-year-old Yaroslav "Stan" Blyudoy, and a close family friend, 49-year-old Olga Greinert.

The Killer Revealed

A fifth body was also discovered at the scene, a man who didn't belong to the family. He appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Authorities identified the dead man as 51-year-old Russell Kot of Fort Lauderdale. Video evidence showed his vehicle entering the Amberlea neighborhood at 11:01 a.m.

A neighbor's Ring camera captured the sound of gunfire shortly after. Russell had been inside the home for nearly 40 minutes before Tony arrived and walked straight into an ambush.

The Hidden Connection

As investigators from Fort Lauderdale contacted their counterparts in Sarasota, a chilling pattern emerged. The victims weren't random.

Tony and Rita were Larisa's parents. Stan was her brother. Russell had methodically hunted down and murdered his ex-girlfriend, her teenage son, and then her entire immediate family in another city.

Authorities believe Russell murdered Larisa and her teenage son Ben in Fort Lauderdale first, then drove 150 miles south to Sarasota to hunt down and kill her entire immediate family before turning the gun on himself.

Lives Destroyed in a Senseless Act

The rampage left three people behind to pick up the pieces: Eve, Larisa's daughter and Ben's sister; Eldar, Ben's father; and Leslie, Stan's fiancée.

In one day, Eve lost her mother, brother, grandparents, and uncle. Leslie lost her future husband and his entire family. Eldar lost his teenage son.

A GoFundMe page created for the survivors describes the magnitude of their loss. "They were not just names in a headline," it reads. "They were loving parents, devoted parents, cherished children, and dear friends."

The fundraiser has raised over $80,000 of its $100,000 goal to cover funeral expenses, trauma counseling, and basic living costs as the three survivors try to navigate life after losing everyone.

The Question Everyone's Asking

Russell's motive for targeting an entire family remains a mystery. Why did he drive 150 miles to kill people who, by all accounts, had nothing to do with whatever grievance he held?

A man who rented Russell a condo in Fort Lauderdale told reporters Russell had been living there quietly for two weeks before the murders. Nothing seemed amiss.

The investigation remains active as authorities analyze video footage and witness accounts. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Bureau at 941-861-4900.