Dade City woman, stepfather dead at Florida Hospital Tampa; called murder-suicide

TAMPA — A 70-year-old man shot his stepdaughter to death Monday morning in a room at Florida Hospital Tampa before turning the gun on himself, authorities said.Steven Reynolds shot Alonna Tedesco, 41, just after 7 a.m. on the hospital's third floor, Hillsborough County sheriff's officials said. Deputies arrived to find Reynolds dead and his stepdaughter clinging to life. She was rushed to the hospital's emergency room, but couldn't be saved.Reynolds and Tedesco of Dade City were at the hospital to visit Tedesco's mother, Mary Reynolds, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.Many questions remained late Monday. Authorities offered few answers as detectives investigated."At this point, it does appear to be a murder-suicide," Hillsborough sheriff's Col. Donna Lusczynski said.The hospital continued to operate normally Monday. A spokeswoman referred to the shooting as an "isolated incident."Sheriff's officials said they are examining the hospital's security camera footage for clues about how the shooting happened.Tedesco was married to Dr. John Tedesco, an osteopathic physician. Both had worked for Florida Medical Clinic, a chain of small medical offices in Hillsborough and Pasco counties, Alonna Tedesco as a registered nurse.Since August, she had also worked as a school nurse in Pasco County for Hudson Middle and Hudson High schools.Pasco County Schools superintendent Kurt Browning and his wife had known Alonna Tedesco since before she began working for the district."We have known Alonna for many years and are shocked to learn of her horrific passing," Browning said in a statement. "She was a good friend and a talented professional. Our thoughts and prayers are with her friends and family."The Tedesco family declined to speak Monday about what happened. The family was still mourning the loss of John Tedesco's mother, Joan Tedesco, 85, who died Nov. 7 at her San Antonio home in Pasco County.The Tedescos lived in the Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club neighborhood, a gated community near Dade City. They moved to the area after they were married about 10 years ago.Residents of the close-knit neighborhood echoed each other in describing Alonna Tedesco as a gracious woman dedicated to her husband and two sons."I can't imagine the neighborhood — or the world— without Alonna," neighbor Jeanie Weightman said. "She was the heart of the neighborhood."Diane Heiler said the Tedescos often attended parties at their neighbors' homes."She was just a lovely, lovely lady with a beautiful family," said Heiler, a friend of the Tedescos. "Everyone is just devastated."Theresa Kelly described Alonna as one of her best friends. The Tedescos visited Kelly and her husband at their second home in Thonotosassa in late October. In snapshots from the visit, the couple locked eyes and flashed coy smiles."I'm devastated for her family," Kelly said, "and our loss."The Tedescos' home is less than a mile from the house Steven Reynolds shared with Mary, his third wife. They had been married since 1997. Property records show Mary Reynolds shares ownership of the home with Dr. Tedesco.Steven Reynolds had no criminal record in Florida.In recent weeks, Alonna Tedesco took to Facebook to express the pain of caring for a parent with Alzheimer's disease. On Oct. 31, she posted a photo of her mother with one of her sons."I wish I knew how to cure this disease," she wrote. "I miss my mom." Times news researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Contact Dan Sullivan at dsullivan@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3386. Follow @TimesDan.

Dade City woman, stepfather dead at Florida Hospital Tampa; called murder-suicide

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