Pantagraph.com Weather forecast, local radar and more
NewsTuesday, May 13, 2008 10:38 PM CDT
Mom, children mutilated and dismembered at gruesome crime scene
Advertisement

TAMPA, Fla. -- A woman and her two young children slain north of Tampa were found mutilated and dismembered in a crime scene that investigators described as one of the most gruesome they had ever seen.

Lisa Freiberg and her children, 7-year-old Zachary and 2-year-old Heather Savannah, were found dead in their mobile home Monday morning. The 26-year-old woman's live-in boyfriend was found hiding under some clothes in a closet and was taken to a hospital after claiming he had ingested an unknown substance, Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee said Tuesday.

At least one of the victims had been decapitated, and the bodies were in such bad shape that visual identification was impossible, Gee said. The family's white German shepherd also was killed.

For investigators, the mobile home in Lutz is an "extremely tough crime scene, emotionally and logistically," Gee said.

The boyfriend has not been charged and remains at the hospital under guard, Gee said.

The sheriff said more than one weapon had been used, but he would not elaborate, and he did not discuss possible motives.

Neighbors said that Freiberg had met her boyfriend on the Internet, and that he had recently moved in. He was not the father of the children.

Gee said the bodies were found by Lisa Freiberg's mother, who checked on her daughter after becoming concerned when she didn't hear from her on Mother's Day.

Video
Most commented stories
Browse online archives
Recent issues:
Reader comments on this story - 6 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

Meh wrote on May 14, 2008 6:18 AM:

" Zeva and Annienap, I seem to recall a tremendous amount of violence prior to the invention of television. A little thing called the Crusades.... another event called World War I comes to mind... and didn't Alexander the Great and Napolean violently conquer large portions of the globe prior to television?

And then we have Europe where there is full frontal nudity on daytime television, fully within the viewing of **gasp** children. Europe also has much lower crime rates than us.

Why do people always want to blame something else when this is clearly the work of some deranged nutcase? "

timmey wrote on May 14, 2008 12:13 AM:

" This guy will not spend a day in prison! Do I hear insanity defense! SICK!!
Who's against the death penalty now? "

cocoa wrote on May 13, 2008 9:56 PM:

" Mama45, I agree completely. I can't imagine finding your daughter and grandchildren like this. I hope she gets some good therapy; she will need it. :( "

mama45 wrote on May 13, 2008 9:07 PM:

" my thoughts and prayers are with this poor mother who found her daughter and grandbabies like this ....may God see that this person be judged accordingly to this crime against this poor family!!!In his arms may they rest!! "

Annienap wrote on May 13, 2008 8:17 PM:

" I totally agree with Zeva's comments. I would also like to add that I believe this is also the reason for all of the sex crimes that we have now. Prior to loosening or totally banning restrictions on TV regarding sex and heinous crimes against children as well as adults, we did not have this much violence in this country. There is absolutely NOTHING left to the imagination anymore. "

Zeva wrote on May 13, 2008 5:27 PM:

" People are getting sicker and sicker! Why would you hurt children? What could they possibly have done to deserve this? I still think it's too much violence in movies and on TV that people watch and then re-enact it in real life. Sad. It seems like every time I turn the channel I see someone being killed or attacked. Something has to change so people can identify between fact and fiction. "

Add your own comments

Please read the rules before posting comments.

You must be logged in to leave comments.
If you don't have a member ID, please register.

*Member ID:
*Password:
Remember login?
(requires cookies)
  Forgot Your Password?