VOLUME 29, NO. 1
Hurray! The start of another year!
OCT. 28, 2020 FREE
The Best news on anna maria island Since 1992 Astheworldterns. 6 Tick tock. The clocks fall back. 3
islander.org
Tragedy: 2 deaths, investigation, remembrances By ryan Paice islander reporter
Bradenton Beach police are still working to unravel the truth behind the deaths of two residents. Meetings. 4 The District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office conducted autopsies Oct. 19 on the Opinions. 6 bodies of Sabrina Dumdei, 37, and Zachary Winton, 34, but did not release results as of Oct. 28 due to the ongoing investigation into 10-20 YEARS AGO the “probable” murder-suicide. Looking back. 7 Detective Sgt. Lenard Diaz, who is leading the Bradenton Beach Police Department HB mayor delivers ‘state investigation, has not disclosed any new of the city.’ 8 details about the case since confirming the Pier tenant progress. 8 identities of Dumdei and Winton. The pair had a history of domestic abuse and violence, but uncertainty around the case remains due to unanswered questions: Calendar, announce• When did the incident occur? ments. 10-11 • What weapons were used? • Where were the bodies found within ISL BIZ: 12 the apartment? anniversary In the meantime, here’s what The quiz. 14 Islander knows: At about 2:30 p.m. Oct. 17, Dumdei’s PTO makes plans. 15 father, Keith, called the BBPD to report that he found the bodies of his daughter and her ami street map. 16-17 roommate at their residence, a mostly empty unit in a triplex at 2514 Ave. C. Gathering. 18 Dumdei’s father told police that when he failed to reach his daughter by phone, he GoodDeeds. 18 drove to the home she shared with Winton. When he saw her body on the floor inside, he Obituaries. 19 Balloting builds to election day. 4
BBPd chief set for retirement goal. 19
Streetlife. 20 get in the game. 22 murder, 12 years later. 23 Cortez mobilizes. 23 renourishment reaches Coquina. 23
NESTING NOTES. 24 amiTW finale.
gone batty. 25 Sports roundup. 26 Pelagics invade. 27
PropertyWatch. 28 CLASSIFIEDS. 28
NYT puzzle.
a memorial for Sabrina dumdei, including a framed picture, cross, flowers and stuffed animals, stands Oct. 22 as a remembrance outside the home where she and Zachary Winton were found dead. islander Photo: ryan Paice
broke the window on the door and entered. BBPD Chief Sam Speciale, who lives a block over on Avenue B, was the first official to respond, following a neighbor to the triplex after being told of the deaths. Speciale said he knew Dumdei as a family friend who’d worked for his wife in the past at a hair salon she owned. Bradenton Beach resident Patty Shay
told The Islander she walked by the scene after Speciale arrived and heard Dumdei’s mother, Mary, say, “My daughter and her boyfriend just killed each other.” Diaz and BBPD officers Steve Masi and Devon Straight responded around 2:40 p.m. and cordoned the property. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Turn TO MURDER, Page 2
Islander guide to safe Halloween, treats, fun mask By Chrisann allen islander reporter
This Halloween, the scariest spook on Anna Maria Island is microscopic. Cases of the novel coronavirus again are on the rise in some areas of the country, including Florida, according to statistics from the Florida Department of Health. As such, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided guidelines for trick-or-treating and some alternate activities for people choosing to play it safe. Most annual Halloween festivities for 2020 on Anna Maria Island were canceled, including the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce’s annual Trail of Treats, an opportunity for businesses to pass out candy to hordes of costume-clad children. “The chamber event was usually so
The Nov. 3 island election results will be posted election night at www.islander.org.
busy,” Holmes Beach Commissioner Pat Morton, also an employee of Holmes Beach Ace Hardware, said Oct. 14. “Not sure where they are going to go this year.” The Anna Maria Island Moose Lodge No. 2188, 110 Gulf Drive S., Bradenton Beach, will host a private event for members’ children Oct. 31 — a drive-thru with a bag of candy for each kid with Tommy Moose, the lodge mascot, waving to the parade of passing kids in vehicles. “We wanted to do something safe for our kids,” Byron Dalton, lodge administrator, said Oct. 15. “We figured they can stay in their cars and still get a treat.” In Anna Maria, the Sandbar Restaurant, 100 Spring Ave., is hosting a “Spookfest” on the beach for kids and grown-ups, including a screening of the movie “Jaws,” games, mask decorating and a pop-up menu, 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. The cost is $20 for adults and $10 for kids. People can make reservations through the restaurant’s Facebook page. According to some island residents, trick-or-treating in neighborhoods has grown Turn TO HALLOWEEN, Page 3
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Clip, color, mask up. Page 14
Mask up for Halloween don’t “boo” Halloween. We invite readers to get in costume for Halloween and share their photos with The islander and our island community via social media — #amiHalloween and tag us: @islandernewspaper on facebook, @ami_islander on Twitter and @theislanderami on instagram. for those without costumes, we offer an easy-to-use pumpkin mask. Please, turn to page 14 to clip, color and string.
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