$15,000 Reward Offered in Triple Homicide Case

The Gold Star Club of Manatee County has stepped forward to offer a $15,000 reward for the capture and arrest of Andres “Andy” Avalos.

The 33-year-old Bradenton man is wanted for questioning in connection with a Thursday triple homicide.

Manatee County Sheriff’s deputies say the case began to unfold around 1:20 p.m. Thursday when officers responded to a shooting at Bayshore Baptist Church, 6502 14th St. W. There deputies found Pastor James “Tripp” Battle, 31, dead.

After learning there might be more victims, deputies went to a home on 14th Street West. There they found the bodies of Amber Avalos, 33, and Denise Potter, 46.

A search for Andy Avalos was immediately kicked off with deputies searching for a Chevrolet Suburban he may have been driving. That vehicle was found Friday morning at a Walmart on State Road 64.

Anyone with information on Avalos’s whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 866-634-TIPS or the sheriff’s office at 941-747-3011, ext. 2159.

The Gold Star Club is an organization founded in 1999 that serves to support law enforcement efforts in Manatee County.

See Also:

• Bradenton Triple Homicide Suspect’s Car Found

Photo Credit: Andy Avalos has a distinct tattoo on his neck. Courtesy of the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office