Two deputies in Orange County have been penalized for releasing information about Bob Saget’s death before it was made public.
According to a report from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, deputies Emiliano Silva and Steven Reed breached department protocol by sharing facts of the comedian’s death before the public information officer could notify the public, according to ClickOrlando.com.
According to the investigation, deputies leaked information of Saget’s death before informing his wife Kelly Rizzo, resulting in “an influx of media inquiries at a time when Mr. Saget’s next-of-kin had not been notified and Homicide Unit detectives had not even arrived at the scene,” according to the report.
For breaking the department’s information dissemination directive, the two are now facing unspecified disciplinary action.
Silva, who was one of the first responders on the scene, informed his brother of Saget’s death, who then shared the news on Twitter.
According to the report, the deputy was unaware his brother had tweeted ‘RIP Bob Saget’ until he was shown a snapshot forty minutes later.
Silva was outraged and urged his brother to delete the tweet, but it had already been picked up by the media.
Reed, who was off-duty at the time, told two of his friends who had gone to one of Saget’s shows about the comedian’s death, according to the report.
Saget was discovered dead at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando the morning after a comedy performance in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. He was most known for his role as single dad Danny Tanner in the 1990s series Full House.
Saget’s untimely death drew widespread media attention and sparked doubts about the circumstances surrounding his death, because he was described as “happy” and “in good health.”
After Rizzo and Saget’s three daughters filed a lawsuit blocking the release of any records from the medical examiner’s office and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, including photographs, video and audio recordings, and ‘statutorily protected autopsy information,’ his family sparked even more scrutiny and rumors.
Saget died in an accident after suffering blunt head trauma from a fall, but authorities were unable to determine how he severely shattered his skull.
Fans have questioned medical judgments on the death in subsequent months, including unsubstantiated assertions that the COVID-19 vaccine had a factor.
‘In today’s day and age, not really,’ Rizzo said when asked if she was surprised by the conspiracy theories dominating the news rather than the tragedy. ‘Nothing surprises me anymore.’
Rizzo said she does not believe the conspiracy ideas that have surfaced, even though the loss ‘still doesn’t make sense’ to her.
‘We don’t give it any energy. We cannot give it any energy. It is just ridiculous,’ she said.