CITRUS COUNTY, FL – Detectives with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office arrested an 81-year-old Hernando woman after uncovering what investigators say was an active murder-for-hire scheme.
On January 16, 2026, detectives from the Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit and Major Crimes Unit, with assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, took Elouise Ruth Leland into custody following a multi-week investigation.
According to investigators, earlier this month detectives received confidential information indicating Leland was attempting to hire someone to commit a murder. Detectives immediately launched an investigation and introduced Leland to an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a person willing to carry out the crime…