Homicide detectives investigate Gus Ormo's death in Weston pool

Broward County homicide detectives are investigating the death of Venezuelan singer and pianist Gustavo Enrique Ormo, who was found submerged in the backyard pool of the Weston, Florida, house registered in his name on Oct. 16.

A spokesperson for the Broward Sheriff's Office told Miami New Times that Broward County Regional Communications received a report of a possible drowning near the 2100 block of Quail Roost Drive at about 9 a.m. that Friday. Deputies and Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue found an adult male submerged in the pool and pronounced him dead at the scene. Homicide and Crime Scene detectives were sent to the house.

His body was taken to the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office, which has not released a cause or manner of death. No arrests have been announced, and authorities have not publicly determined whether the death was accidental, self-inflicted or caused by another person.

What deputies found

What was first reported as a drowning became a homicide-unit investigation the same morning, with the sheriff's office calling the circumstances suspicious and giving no explanation for that designation. Telemundo 51 reported that the house, in the Weston Hills community, is registered in Ormo's name. Miami New Times said it matched footage from WPLG Local 10 with satellite imagery and Broward County property records to confirm he owned the property.

On scene, emergency crews located an adult male submerged inside of a pool and pronounced him deceased. Detectives with BSO's Homicide and Crime Scene Units were notified and are on scene investigating the circumstances surrounding this suspicious incident.

Authorities did not name the man on the day he was found. On Oct. 19 the sheriff's office identified him as Gustavo Enrique Ormo, 45, the singer, composer and pianist who performed as Gus Ormo, Local 10 reported. His sister, Antonieta Ormo, confirmed his death to CBS News Miami on Oct. 16, telling the station that the family knew little about what had happened.

Public records show Ormo had held title to the Quail Roost Drive house for several years, and neighbors said he kept a low profile. Bruno Gedikinan, who lives nearby, told NBC Miami that what happened was sad and not something he expected in Weston. Another resident, Mariano Cascata, told the station the death was not normal.

A brother's 911 call

Ormo's brother found the body, and the 911 recording released on Monday, Oct. 19, captures that moment, Telemundo 51 reported. Relatives had spent some time trying to reach the musician, with no answer. After their mother grew worried, the brother drove to the house with their parents.

Speaking in Spanish, the brother told the dispatcher that he had arrived about 20 minutes earlier, that he believed Ormo had taken his own life and that he was in the pool.

The dispatcher asked how many people were in the water, and the brother answered that only Ormo was in the pool.

What the brother told the dispatcher was his impression minutes after arriving at the house. The sheriff's office has not confirmed that account and has not said what detectives believe took place. Its description of the incident as suspicious came on the day of the death and has not been explained.

The medical examiner's timeline

Thomas Steinkamp, chief of investigative services for the Broward County Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services, wrote in an email to the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the matter is the subject of an active criminal investigation. His office said its review is continuing and requires further testing and study, and that establishing how and why Ormo died could take as long as 90 days.

The sheriff's office said on Oct. 19 that it had nothing further to share while the investigation is active, and that the medical examiner's office will determine both the cause and the manner of death.

Antonieta Ormo reposted a Univision story about her brother's death on Instagram and wrote in Spanish that he had gone to a better plane, a dimension of light and music, Miami New Times reported. She told Telemundo 51 the days since had been emotionally very difficult.

The cord in the pool

Helicopter footage from Telemundo 51 showed the body in the water and what appeared to be a rope coming out of the pool, the station reported. The sheriff's office has not said what it was or whether it was related to the death. CBS Miami reported that the body was found face down, surrounded by a long cord, a detail the sheriff's office has also not addressed publicly.

Emergency radio traffic initially described the man as tied up, the Miami Herald reported, and no official source has confirmed that. Aerial images broadcast by WPLG Local 10 showed a length of blue cord running from the greenery into the pool.

Who Gus Ormo was

Ormo was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, and built his career in Miami's Latin market around romantic ballads that blended poetry with pop and Latin rhythms, drawing on the poets Pablo Neruda, Mario Benedetti and Jaime Sabines. His videos drew millions of views online.

The last album

Alquimia, his 2025 album, ran to nine tracks and was built around love, passion and sensuality, the Miami New Times reported, citing El Universo, and Ormo spent years working at the piano and guitar before releasing it.

Two weeks before he was found, Ormo released AGAPE, a six-track instrumental piano album developed over roughly 12 years. The record features the Grammy-winning saxophonist Ed Calle, the bassist Carlitos del Puerto and Manuel Gamez. An Oct. 1 press release described it as "a conceptual, instrumental, and intimate album that marks a milestone in his career," the Miami New Times reported.

"In a world that makes us experience emotional numbness, this album is an invitation to feel without filters or the need for words," Ormo said in the release.

Ed Calle, who played on the album, told Miami New Times that Ormo was a beautiful person, a dear friend and a hard-working artist pursuing his dream, and said his warmth and creativity would be missed. In an Instagram post shared days before his death, Ormo wrote that his piano was his voice, according to Oxygen.

What the agencies have not said

Miami New Times said Ormo's representatives did not respond to its email and phone requests. Oxygen said a spokesperson for Ormo did not immediately return its request for comment, and that spokespeople for the sheriff's office and the medical examiner's office did not immediately return requests either.

The sheriff's office has described its investigation as open and active. The medical examiner's findings will determine the cause and manner of death. The Suicide & Crisis Lifeline takes calls and texts at 988 from anyone in a mental health crisis.