MOUNT DORA, Fla. – Following the deaths of a retired Mount Dora couple at the Waterman Village senior living complex, the pair’s children are now speaking out to let people know just how much their parents meant to them and the community.
According to police, Darryl and Sharon Getman were found killed at the complex on Saturday after the department received reports about suspicious activity.
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Anthony and Brittany Getman, the children of the couple, said their parents had been Mount Dora residents for 20 years and were truly loved by residents in the area.
Hank Borg told News 6 that Daryl and Sharon Getman were good people.
“They were kind. They were helpful, and if someone needed a favor, they stood there, ready to help,” Borg said. “Certainly, we were devastated to hear about the loss.”
Many of the slain couple’s neighbors said that they’re devastated at the loss, though they remember the couple’s impact on the community.
“They gave donations to various charities and at the hospital for children,” former neighbor John Kaltenbach told News 6.
A photo posted to Facebook shows that the Getmans gave money to Advent Health Waterman Foundation to help children.
Neighbors said the Getman couple had previously traveled the country in their RV to enjoy retirement.
“They were certainly known for their travel with their RV,” Borg stated.
At a press conference Tuesday, Mount Dora Interim Police Chief Mike Gibson said police have a person of interest in custody out of state, though the department won’t release her name. Gibson added that the person of interest was a woman and that she was found driving the couple’s car in a different state.
According to Gibson, she was found at the Waterman Village complex several times the day before New Year’s Eve. He said that she even knocked on a different resident’s door and asked to take a shower.
Police said security cameras caught her driving the Getmans’ car out of the complex after she likely got inside through gaps in the fencing in the back.
“She was arrested for the theft of the vehicle, and she’s clearly a person of interest for the homicide,” Gibson said.
Waterman Village officials said they have extra police on the property at this time, but they told News 6 that they cannot comment further, citing an active law enforcement investigation.
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