In Florida, a case that started as one shooting in a quiet neighborhood quickly turned into something far bigger. Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells laid out the timeline in a press conference video shared by the Bradenton Herald, describing an investigation that crossed multiple counties and ended with a woman accused of killing two ex-husbands on the same day.
Tampa Bay 28 reporter Mary O’Connell summed it up in her video report as an “incredibly layered case,” because the more detectives pulled on one thread, the more the story widened. What looked like one homicide in Bradenton soon pointed investigators toward another homicide scene in Tampa.
The sheriff didn’t pretend it made perfect sense. In fact, Wells openly admitted investigators don’t know why that particular day became the day everything boiled over, even as they began uncovering possible pressure points like old custody battles and money disputes.
And that’s part of why people keep calling it bizarre: not because it’s funny or mysterious, but because it’s hard to process how quickly a normal day can turn into something this extreme.
The Bradenton Shooting That Started The Dominoes
Sheriff Rick Wells said deputies were called at about 2:55 p.m. to a shooting in the Heritage Harbour neighborhood in Manatee County, off State Road 64. Deputies arrived within minutes and found the victim still alive and able to speak.
Wells said deputies asked a simple question – who could have done this – and the victim gave a chilling answer: “Possibly my ex-wife.” That detail immediately shaped the direction of the investigation.
Wells also emphasized that the victim’s 15-year-old daughter was inside the home at the time. She did not see the actual shooting, but she heard gunfire and then looked out a window.
According to Wells, she reported three shots fired, and that her father was hit once in the abdomen. In the middle of shock and confusion, she still noticed something important: a vehicle leaving.
Wells said she described the car as a silver Honda Odyssey, and she also described the person getting into it as wearing a gray sweatshirt and a mask. That kind of detail—especially in a moment like that – can become the difference between a case that goes cold and a case that moves fast.
And fast is exactly what happened here.
The Panera Bread Detail That Sounds Unreal, But Mattered
As Wells explained it, detectives didn’t just look at family history. They also tried to reconstruct what happened right before the shots.
Wells said investigators learned the suspect arrived with Panera Bread food, including broccoli soup and other items, and that it appeared to be used as a way to get close to the front door.
Then came the twist: Wells said detectives checked a Panera Bread location about a mile and a half away and saw the suspect enter, go to the area where Uber Eats and DoorDash pickup orders sit, grab food, and leave without paying.
Wells’ description wasn’t subtle. He said it wasn’t her food – she “just decides this is going to be her way to the front door.” That detail is strange, but it also paints a picture of someone allegedly trying to blend in with something ordinary.
It’s the kind of behavior that feels small and petty compared to a murder accusation, yet it may show planning. It also shows how modern life creates weird opportunities – food shelves, delivery stands, grab-and-go routines – that didn’t exist the same way years ago.
In a case like this, small “normal” moments can sit right beside the unthinkable.
Bleach, Cleaning Rags, And The Question That Changed Everything
Wells said detectives had a license plate reader hit that helped them track the suspect vehicle. Once the ex-wife became the focus, investigators looked at what kind of car she drove.
Wells identified the suspect as Susan Erica Avalon, and said she “ironically” owned a silver Honda Odyssey, matching what the victim’s daughter described.
From there, Wells said license plate reader data showed the vehicle traveling back toward Citrus County, where Avalon lived. Investigators went to that location and waited for help from local agencies.
What happened next, according to Wells, sounded like something out of a movie. He said Avalon came out of her house with bleach and cleaning rags, got into the Odyssey, and began wiping the vehicle down.
Wells made it clear how that looked to investigators—like someone trying to erase evidence in real time.
When detectives approached and told her they wanted to speak about her ex-husband, Wells said her response was not denial or confusion. It was a question: “Which one?”
Wells said investigators only knew about one ex-husband at that moment. So that single line suddenly opened a new, darker door.
Wells also said Avalon made comments accusing the victim of being a child abuser and a molester, and he described her as launching into complaints about the problems she said she’d had with him.
Wells added another odd layer: Avalon thought the detectives were from Hillsborough County, not Manatee County. That mattered because it hinted there was already something else on her mind – something tied to another place.
That’s when investigators started digging into the “second ex-husband” they hadn’t known about.
The Tampa Welfare Check And A Second Deadly Scene
Once detectives learned there was another ex-husband, Wells said they found out this second man lived in Tampa, in Hillsborough County.
Wells described sending detectives toward Tampa and requesting help from Tampa police. Mary O’Connell, in her Tampa Bay 28 video report, walked viewers through the multi-county timeline and the way investigators connected the dots.
O’Connell reported that Tampa police conducted a welfare check at a home on East Frierson Avenue, and that the request was tied to Manatee County’s homicide investigation.
Wells then delivered the grim result: Tampa police entered the residence and found that the second ex-husband had also been shot and killed.
That discovery reframed the entire case. It wasn’t just one targeted shooting. It was potentially a two-victim day, with a suspect moving from one county to another.
Wells said investigators believe Avalon left Citrus County that morning, traveled into Hillsborough County first, and killed the man Wells described as her second ex-husband. Then, Wells said, she traveled to Manatee County, went to her first ex-husband’s home, knocked on the door, and shot him.
O’Connell also brought in the human side of what neighbors experienced. She reported knocking on doors in the Tampa neighborhood and meeting Escarlin Cortorreal, who described what she heard.
Cortorreal told O’Connell she heard one gunshot, then a couple seconds later three in a row, and said they turned the music down because it was clear those were gunshots.
That short quote captures how violence lands in real neighborhoods: not as a headline at first, but as a sound people try to explain away until they can’t.
What Investigators Think The Pressure Points Were
Wells was careful not to claim a single motive was “the” motive, but he did point to ongoing conflict. He said the suspect and the Bradenton victim had been divorced for 11 years, and that there had been custody issues long ago.
Wells also said investigators found an apparent child support issue, and described learning the suspect owed around $4,000.
In Mary O’Connell’s reporting, she highlighted Wells saying there had been a court hearing in October related to child support, and Wells suggested that may have been part of the background tension.
Wells also described talking with Avalon’s live-in boyfriend, who reportedly said she had recently found the victim’s location. Wells said the boyfriend told investigators she said something unusual the day before – telling him she loved him “in case something happens to her,” which he viewed as out of character.
Wells added another detail that, if true, suggests frantic cleanup: he said when she returned home she was wearing the same gray sweatshirt seen on camera, and that she went into the shower with the clothes on.
That’s not normal behavior. It reads like panic, or like someone trying to wash away more than sweat.
Still, Wells ended his explanation with something that felt honest: investigators don’t know why that day was the day. They only know what they believe happened, and what evidence they’re building around.
A Brutal Reminder Of How Fast “Personal” Can Turn Public
This case is being described as brazen for a reason. In Mary O’Connell’s reporting, she quotes Wells saying, “It doesn’t get any more brazen than this.” And that line sticks because the alleged acts weren’t hidden away in remote woods or buried in secrecy.
They happened in neighborhoods. They happened during the day. They happened across county lines, and the ripples hit multiple agencies and two communities.
It’s also a reminder that the most dangerous disputes are often the ones that look “domestic” on paper. When resentment, money, court orders, custody arguments, and old accusations mix together, the stakes can feel life-or-death to the people inside it – even when everyone else sees it as history.
If there’s any sliver of reassurance here, it’s the coordination Wells described. License plate readers, quick investigative follow-ups, and agency-to-agency communication appear to have moved the case forward fast, especially once that “Which one?” moment revealed there could be another victim.
For the public, the biggest questions now are the ones Wells implied are still open: what fully drove this, what evidence will be presented in court, and whether prosecutors believe the timeline is as clear as investigators currently believe it is.
For now, the sheriff’s message – delivered through his own words and Mary O’Connell’s step-by-step reporting – is that this investigation is still active, still unfolding, and still one of the most unsettling multi-county cases the region has seen in a long time.
Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, John developed a love for the great outdoors early on. With years of experience as a wilderness guide, he’s navigated rugged terrains and unpredictable weather patterns. John is also an avid hunter and fisherman who believes in sustainable living. His focus on practical survival skills, from building shelters to purifying water, reflects his passion for preparedness. When he’s not out in the wild, you can find him sharing his knowledge through writing, hoping to inspire others to embrace self-reliance.
