Sheriff: Ranch homicide not random

Manatee County Sheriff's Office detectives still have not released many details regarding the homicide that ended Lakewood Ranch resident Ina Gross's life Jan. 9, but authorities now say they believe the murder was not a random act.

"It's been (through) the culmination of the last few days that we are really ruling out the possibility of this being a random burglary, a home invasion or someone breaking in to rob the victim," Assistant Public Information Officer Randy Warren said.

Warren said evidence, such video from a neighbor's security system, telephone calls, DNA recovered from the scene, and other information, is still being processed.

Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube said detectives are working hard on the case and the sheriff's office is giving as much information as they can to the public without compromising its investigation.

"I'm listening to what the folks in Lakewood Ranch are saying," Steube said. "Everybody's a little frustrated because we aren't giving any information, but we're trying to make a case here. There is a lot of evidence we still have to analyze. We still have a lot of legwork to do here, but I think we're headed in the right direction."

Steube said detectives are trying to reconstruct what Gross did the day before her death to help provide potential leads and other information. The medical examiner, he said, also is waiting for some test results to better determine how Gross died.

Gross, 78, was found dead in her garage in the 11000 block of Hyacinth Place by her son, Tom Gross, at about 5:30 a.m. Jan. 9.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].