UPDATE 4/11/20 –
On 04-10-2020 at 10:10 a.m., Hernando County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a residence on the 9400 block of Dunkirk Road in Spring Hill in reference to a house fire with deceased individuals inside.
A woman, who was initially out of town, had called 911 after receiving a suicidal text from an acquaintance living at the Dunkirk Road residence.
That individual has been identified as Derick Albert Vasquez W/M DOB/06-11-1976.
Prior to calling law enforcement the woman drove back to the residence where she found the home on fire and saw at least one deceased person inside prior to exiting the residence.
The first deputy on scene entered the structure, but was forced to exit after becoming overwhelmed by the smoke. Other deputies and Hernando County Fire Rescue soon entered the structure where they located three deceased individuals inside the residence.
The fire, which was confined to a particular area of the house, was quickly extinguished.
There was one adult male who was positively identified as Vasquez and two children, a boy and girl, who were found deceased. The names of the children, who died as a result of homicidal violence, are not being released due to Marsy’s Law.
The preliminary investigation reveals that Vasquez died as a result of committing suicide after killing the children.
The Medical Examiner’s Office and the Fire Marshal’s Office responded to assist with the investigation. Records show there was one previous call for service at the residence dated March 22 regarding a verbal disturbance.
The investigation remains active and no additional details are available at this time.
UPDATE 4/10/20 – A video of the press conference with Sheriff Nienhuis is now available.
On Friday April 10, 2020 at 10:10am, Hernando County Fire Rescue responded to a house fire on Dunkirk Rd in Spring Hill. There were reports that victims were inside the home and there was a possible shooting. Fire Rescue units moved in after law enforcement deemed it safe. Once fire crews entered the home, they found and extinguished a fire located in a bedroom of the home. During the search several victims were found and confirmed to be deceased on the scene. Sheriff Nienhuis stated that the deceased included an adult, a preteen and young teen. Hernando County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating the incident, as well as the State Fire Marshall and Medical Examiner’s Office.
Hernando Sun will provide updates, once further information is released.
