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Three days after multiple people were found killed in Sarasota and Fort Lauderdale homes in related shootings, police in Florida have revealed that the suspect showed up to the Sarasota residence with two handguns, five knives and other weapons.
Russell Kot, 51, is suspected of killing Larisa Blyudaya, 46, and Ben Azivov, 18, at a home in Fort Lauderdale before he traveled across the state to Sarasota and fatally shot Olga Greinert, 49, Florita Stolyar, 66, Anatoly Ioffe, 61, and Yaroslav Blyudoy, 39, at a home within a gated community.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office announced in a press release on Friday, February 13, that they learned Kot relocated from Illinois to Fort Lauderdale in the fall of 2025.
“He was living with Larissa Blyudoy, the daughter of Florita Stolyar, until the end of 2025, when the two separated,” the press release read. “A review of Kot’s cellular phone records did not reveal any apparent triggering event prior to the shootings involving Larissa or any member of her family.”
Additionally, police said that no records indicated that Kot previously stayed at Stolyar’s Fallcrest residence in Sarasota or cared for the family’s animals in the months leading up to the fatal shooting.
Investigators also confirmed that Kot had met Greinert, the family’s housekeeper, at least once before the incident.
A search warrant was executed on Kot’s vehicle, where authorities found two handguns, ammunition, five knives, rope, tape and an axe, according to the press release. The weapons in the car were found in addition to two handguns that Kot had on him when he entered the Fallcrest residence.
“Investigators have determined that after killing Olga Greinert and Yaroslav Blyudoy, Florita Stolyar’s son, Kot sent a suicidal text message to members of his family,” the press release said. “He then remained at the Fallcrest residence until Florita and her husband, Anatoly Ioffe, returned home. Upon their arrival, both were shot and killed. Kot then shot himself.”
Police added that Crime Scene Analysts recovered more than 20 shell casings inside the residences, and it was confirmed that each victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the case remains ongoing.
Deputies responded to the Fallcrest home around 12:30 p.m. on February 10. Once they arrived, authorities found a neighbor performing CPR on a male victim in the home’s front yard. The male victim was then moved to another location, where he was later pronounced dead.
Neighbors told responding officers that the man’s wife was potentially inside the home. They then entered the residence, where they found two women and two men that were dead.
As the Sarasota deputies tried to identify the victims and potential suspect, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department contacted them to say they were working on a double homicide. At the time, the Fort Lauderdale Police said they believed the Sarasota shooting was linked to their investigation.
After police confirmed via surveillance footage that Kot drove through the neighborhood in Sarasota, the two departments were able to piece together that he committed the killings in Fort Lauderdale before he traveled to the Fallcrest address.
