A woman was found dead in the front yard of a home on North Cacalia Drive in Crystal River after deputies responded to a welfare check, and Tadd Lee Prowant, a person of interest who may have been the last person to see her alive, was in custody after a vehicle accident following a pursuit by deputies.
Citrus County Sheriff's officers were dispatched to the North Cacalia Drive address for the welfare check when they discovered the woman deceased in the yard, according to Tampa Bay 28. Sheriff David Vincent said Tadd Lee Prowant, a person of interest who investigators believe might be the last person to see the woman alive, was in custody after a vehicle accident following a pursuit by deputies. David Vincent, not Tadd Lee Prowant, defeated two-term incumbent Mike Prendergast in the 2024 Citrus County, Florida, sheriff's election and became sheriff, according to Florida Politics, though Vincent's own background is as a former Chief of Police for the Citrus County School District rather than a prior role in this case.
Person of Interest in Custody
Detectives told the outlet they believe the incident is isolated, and that they would remain in the area well into the evening investigating the death. The sheriff's office is asking anyone with information to call its non-emergency line at 352-249-2790.
Authorities said no further information would be released.
A Previous Crystal River Welfare Check
Citrus County's median age reached 56.9 years in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Cubit Planning.
This is not the first time a Citrus County welfare check has led deputies to a shocking scene. In October 2023, deputies responding to an urgent well-being check on North Dawnflower Avenue in Crystal River found 64-year-old Debora Jefferys dead on the floor and an injured man, Parker, in the living room, amid signs of a domestic dispute, according to WTSP. And in July, a welfare check on West Sandra Street uncovered five dead puppies and decomposed animal remains, leading to felony animal cruelty charges against a Crystal River resident, as Hoodline previously reported.
