Doctor Murdered In Exclusive Tampa Bay Avila Subdivision

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. A husband and wife were found murdered early Monday night in Tampa’s Avila subdivision.

The Sheriff’s Office received a call of shots fired around 8:00 p.m.

By air and ground, an intense investigation is happening Tuesday inside the upscale Tampa subdivision Avila, where a married couple was found dead inside their home.

Detectives are looking for clues into the deaths of 76-year-old Hector Rivera and 55-year-old Debra Rivera. Both were killed at their house at 814 Taray De Avila.

The 11,000-square-foot residence sits inside the secure, gated community home to many of Tampa’s largest mansions.

Hector Rivera was a general practitioner at Town N Country Medical Center off of Hillsborough, and Debra Rivera ran a business out of their home called Distinctive Creations, selling women’s clothing and jewelry.

Detectives are ruling it a double homicide, and they do not believe it was a random act. A neighbor said they heard gunshots around 8 p.m. Shortly after, someone called 911.

“The crime scene is a bit complicated,” Sheriff David Gee said. “It’s going to take a long time. We’re going to do a very thorough job.”

On Tuesday, dive teams were searching a lake behind the home, while ground crews searched the neighborhood.

Detectives were conducting door-to-door surveys with neighbors and were trying to determine if any neighbors’ surveillance cameras recorded anything.

Detectives said it didn’t appear that anything was taken from the home, and no suspects have been named in the investigation.

The Avila residential area is home to exclusive, million dollar estates that are highly secured with gates and guard towers.

Sheriff Gee said it’s understandable that residents are scared.

“I would be concerned if there was a murder in my neighborhood.”

After murder, a search for answers at Avila: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com