TAMPA, Fla. — A woman and her alleged abuser are both dead after a welfare check led to a homicide investigation in Lake Magdalene, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
It all started around 7 p.m. Monday when the sheriff's office says it received a call from the friends of the woman found dead after not hearing from her for about 24 hours.
Sheriff Chad Chronister added that the friends also noted a history of domestic violence and abuse between the woman and a 52-year-old man named Charles Siminski.
Deputies arrived at Siminski's home in the area of Cherry Lake Drive near Cascade Lane and attempted to make contact with him, but Chronister says he refused to speak with them or cooperate with the investigation.
While on scene, deputies are said to have noticed something odd that didn't "really make a lot of sense.” According to Chronister, the deputies noticed a Jeep was backed up to the front door and that there appeared to be a body in a large plastic trash bag inside.
From there, the sheriff's office's negotiators and SWAT team were called in after they say Siminski refused to come out of the home.
Chronister says the team made several attempts to reach Siminski and were having a dialogue with him from 11 p.m. Monday until around 11 a.m. Tuesday.
When dialogue stopped for a time span of more than an hour, Chronister said the sheriff's office introduced a chemical irritant into the room Siminski was believed to be in but he still remained inside the home.
The sheriff's office then broke the windows to the room and was able to see Siminski on the bed with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Chronister.
The sheriff's office was able to get a warrant for the Jeep where they say a 40-year-old woman's body was found in the back with "significant" head trauma.
Chronister said there are currently two pending domestic violence cases against Siminski made by the woman to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
The first was reported to have occurred with an arrest in September 2021 and the other in December 2021 when Chronister says the woman jumped from a moving limo she was in with Siminski onto Dale Mabry Highway because she felt “that much in fear for her life."
Chronister asked for anyone who is experiencing domestic violence or knows someone who has to please contact The Spring of Tampa Bay at 813-247-7233.
"It is always a tragedy when a victim loses their life at the hands of their abuser when help is simply a phone call away," Chronister said in a statement. "As we continue to investigate what led up to this incident, I am urging anyone who believes they are a victim of domestic violence or who knows someone who could be a victim to reach out for assistance through one of the many organizations in our community, including the Spring of Tampa Bay."