Carrollwood woman was murdered by her relative, deputies say

Josh Fiallo, Tampa Bay Times
·1 min read

CARROLLWOOD — Deputies had already arrested Debra Pais Patton on charges of abuse of a dead body after a Carrollwood woman was found dead in her home Monday.

Now they say Patton was behind the woman’s death, and added a charge of second-degree murder with a firearm on Tuesday, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

The woman Patton allegedly killed was in her 60s. They were related and lived together at a home on the 11000 block of Cypress Park Street, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

An investigation began after friends alerted deputies on Sunday that the woman hadn’t been heard from since May 24. After a search, she was found dead in her home Monday morning. Deputies added the second-degree murder charge after the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner determined the death was a homicide.

No further information about the killing, including a potential motive, was released Tuesday. The woman killed was not identified by deputies and her relation to Patton was not released.