Florida Officials Investigate Man’s Death After Suspect Found Partially Conscious With Note

Florida officials announced the arrest of a woman on suspicion of stabbing a man to death last week.

The discovery occurred after a welfare check at the home of 43-year-old Eugenia Bright on the 800 block of Mecca Drive in Sarasota County, according to a news release issued from the Sarasota Police Department. The release stated that a welfare check was conducted on Monday, November 21, after Bright did not show up for work.

Once authorities entered the home, they discovered Bright fading in and out of consciousness on a bed in the main bedroom next to a bottle of pills. Authorities also spotted blood splattered on the walls of the bedroom and the sink after locating a 53-year-old man who had been stabbed and had two large incisions on his back. Officials did not release the identity of the man under Marsy’s law, which gives victims and their families the right to have their names withheld, according to NBC affiliate station WFLA-TV.

According to WFLA-TV, a witness told authorities they heard a woman screaming from inside her apartment around the time the incident occurred. The news outlet also reported that authorities said there was blood on her clothes but no present defensive wounds or signs of being battered.

According to police, Bright informed detectives she took 12 pills and tried to kill herself. Bright reportedly began crying and stated she was tired after authorities asked her what happened. She was rushed by paramedics to Sarasota Memorial Hospital and given Narcan to treat her for an overdose.

An eight-to-10-inch kitchen knife was reportedly located on the dresser in the home, along with a note from Bright. According to authorities, per WFLA-TV, the note read:

“I do not want a funeral!!!! Just cremate me! Do not take my body to [redacted]. Just find someone that will do a cremation!”

The note also reportedly had instructions that requested two specific women be notified of her death.

When authorities visited the hospital to interview Bright again, she refused to answer questions, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, according to the news station.

Bright was arrested and currently faces a second-degree murder charge.

She is being held at the Sarasota County Jail without bond, as the man’s death remains under investigation.