Florida Police Officers Disciplined Over Leak of Comedian Bob Saget’s Death Before Family Were Notified

Bob Saget in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 3, 2021. Phillip Faraone/Getty Images

Two Florida police officers who leaked news of comedian Bob Saget’s death before his family was informed were temporarily suspended, according to law enforcement officials.

Saget was found dead in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida, on Jan. 9, just hours after performing in Jacksonville. He was 65 years old.

According to an autopsy, the “Full House” star died from blunt head trauma after possibly falling and hitting the back of his head. No illicit drugs or toxins were found in his system at the time of death.

News of his death was leaked to the public before Saget’s wife, Kelly Rizzo, and their three children were informed, and before an official release was provided by the sheriff’s office public information officer, according to a report by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Orange County deputies Emiliano Silva and Steven Reed were suspended for 81 hours without pay for violating the department’s dissemination of information directive.

According to the department, Silva responded to the scene at the Ritz-Carlton hotel and told his brother about Saget’s passing, who then posted the news on Twitter.

Reed was off duty at the time of the incident but was told about it by another Orange County Sherriff’s deputy and spread the information to some friends who had seen one of Saget’s recent stand-up comedy shows.

The report said that the two law enforcement agents’ leaks “resulted 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.”

“This case highlights how important it is to allow detectives in death investigations the time to ensure next of kin notifications are made before that information is disseminated to the public,” Orange County Sheriff John Mina told The Epoch Times. “The deputies acknowledged their wrongdoing and were disciplined for their actions.”

Brian Bieber, the Saget family’s attorney, told Click Orlando that he was not aware of the deputies being disciplined.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for comment.

Saget rose to fame as Danny Tanner, a widower and father of three on the television sitcom “Full House,” which ran from 1987 to 1995 on ABC.

Outside of television, he was also a standup comedian and host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” from 1989 to 1997.

Saget’s family sued the Orange County Sheriff’s office in February to stop them from releasing records such as pictures, audio, and videos related to his death, and a judge temporarily granted the family’s request.

On March 14, a Florida judge granted a permanent injunction to prevent such materials relating to his death from being released, ruling that “there exists a lesser public interest in the disclosure of the Protected Records than the privacy and statutory rights of [the Saget family].”

Saget’s family said in a statement to NBC News at the time that they were “grateful” for the permanent injunction to “preserve Bob’s dignity, as well as their privacy rights, especially after suffering this unexpected and tragic loss.”

“We are pleased this issue has been resolved, and the healing process can continue to move forward,” the family continued, adding: “All of the prayers and well wishes continuously extended to the family are beyond appreciated.”

Saget’s autopsy also revealed that the comedian had COVID-19 at the time of his death.