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Deputies ID Body Found After Standoff In Dunedin

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By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 15, 2008

Pinellas County sheriff's detectives have identified a body found in a Dunedin house after an eight-hour standoff Saturday as that of 61-year-old Barbara Hebert.

Hebert's body was decomposed. Her identity was confirmed through dental records and fingerprints, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

Neils Christian Larsen, 55, the owner of the home at 1222 Orange Ave., has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of Hebert, who had trauma to the upper body, detectives said. Hebert rented a room at Larsen's home for about two months.

Larsen and Hebert were involved in an argument that turned physical, the sheriff's office said.

The standoff started about 1:30 p.m. Friday when authorities went to the home to check on Larsen's welfare. Larsen initially spoke to deputies then retreated inside, detectives said. Deputies continued to try to make contact with Larsen, and when he failed to respond, the SWAT team was called about 4 p.m.

The sheriff's office had received information that Larsen might commit suicide and continued trying to contact him. The sheriff office said Larsen had two propane tanks and three Freon tanks in the home. Several houses in the neighborhood were evacuated.

After the SWAT team used chemicals on the house, Larsen walked out the front door and surrendered. While deputies secured the home just after midnight Saturday, they found Hebert's body wrapped in several blankets on the kitchen floor, authorities said.

Larsen was being held without bail today at Pinellas County Jail.

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