TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – One painful year after Heather Toledo was allegedly murdered by her husband with their children nearby, her family remains worried about where the accused killer is and who is looking for him.
Frantic 911 calls came from the Toledo’s home in Valrico around 9:30 p.m. July 3, 2022. Records show 54-year-old Enrique Toledo told the operator he killed his wife, although he later claimed the shooting was an accident.
Man accused of killing wife in front of daughter cuts off ankle monitor, vanishes
The sudden death of Heather Toledo, who was 37, left her family devastated. It got worse in December when the suspect cut off his ankle monitor and went on the run hours before a hearing for allegedly violating a no contact order by texting his daughters.
Court records show the bond was initially forfeited. That meant the bondsman would be on the hook for the $150,000. But that order was later said to be a clerical error.
The judge had instead revoked the bond, eliminating the forfeiture of the money.
Heather Toledo’s brother Stephen Green and his wife Michelle said they thought putting the kids in danger by firing a gun in the house would have been enough to keep Toledo locked up without bail.
“It’s infuriating to be completely honest,” Michelle Green said.
Toledo’s family is worried the bondsman has had no reason to track down Toledo.
“They have experience. They find these people,” Michelle Green said. “So having those extra set of eyes to find him would be really beneficial.”
8 on Your Side went through more than two years of Hillsborough County murder cases.
Fugitive accused of killing wife near kids allegedly falsified insurance docs
In addition to having one of the lowest bonds of those crimes, Toledo’s case is the only one from the records that were reviewed with a bond revocation for a defendant who did not show up for a hearing.
“It’s heartbreaking for these girls. It’s heartbreaking, the entire process,” Green said. “Everything they’ve been through. And it’s just another let down by the county.”
Records also showed that 10 of the 126 Hillsborough County murder cases since 2020 involved bail of $150,000 or lower. Seventy-one of the defendants—nearly 60%—were held without bail.
The prosecution asked for $300,000. After the defense told the court Toledo’s claim of self-defense should be considered, the judge set the bail at the lower amount.
Frank Cueto, the bondsman in Toledo’s case, said he has seen judges revoke bond for defendants who did not show up for their hearings.
Cueto said he is searching for Toledo, despite the bond revocation.
“We are actively looking for him,” Cueto said. “I don’t want this to become a headache in the future. You never know what’s going to happen.”
The alleged murder is not the only trouble Toledo is facing.
About five months before the shooting, Toledo and her husband were sued by the daughter of Maritza Jackson. Jackson died from an infection in 2021 shortly after she moved out of the Toledo’s now-defunct Brandon nursing home.
The case against Heather Toledo was voluntarily dismissed but in January a jury decided in favor of Jackson and awarded a $12.5 million judgment against Toledo. Toledo did not appear or file any motions in the case.
Jackson’s attorney Will Sarubbi said he also discovered an insurance form filed by Toledo with the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration (ACHA) was allegedly altered. ACHA accepted the document, but according to Sarubbi the insurance that covered the nursing home had expired in 2018.
An ACHA spokesperson said the agency “only” collects the information.
“We do not randomly or otherwise contact the insurance company to verify the information,” the spokesperson said in an email.
