A prominent South Florida realtor, her two young daughters and the girls’ father have been identified as the people killed in an apparent murder-suicide in Doral.
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Melanie Hyer, 46, was a probate real estate professional who had been frequently interviewed by NBC6 to share her knowledge and insights about the real estate industry.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office officials said Hyer was among four people found dead inside a home in the Doral Isles neighborhood in the area of Northwest 111th Court and Northwest 72nd Terrace during a welfare check Tuesday night.
Hyer’s daughters, 11-year-old Savannah Whiten and 8-year-old Sienna Whiten, were also found dead inside the home along with the girls’ father, 42-year-old Ryan Charles Whiten.
They had all suffered stab wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene in what the sheriff’s office believes was a murder-suicide.
Court records show that Hyer was married to another man until March of this year. Whiten’s last known address was an apartment also in the Doral Isles neighborhood.
The news stunned the community, including Doral Mayor Christi Fraga, who knew Hyer personally.
Fraga called it an “unimaginable tragedy,” adding in a statement that “As a mother, and as someone who personally knew and admired the loving and dedicated mother at the center of this tragedy, this loss feels especially close to home.”
Former NBC6 investigative journalist Willard Shepard was also a close friend of Hyer’s and said he was heartbroken to learn of her death.
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“She was an extremely giving person in a professional capacity, she was an expert in the areas of probate, foreclosure, those types of things,” Shepard said. “I talked to her probably a month and a half ago, no sign or any indication of something like this, and obviously if there was some sign of that not only would I have said something but taken some action but there was simply nothing that gave me any indication that this could have potentially occurred.”
Shepard said he was told by neighbors that the girls had been out riding their bicycles with Ryan Whiten on Sunday.
Parents, teachers and students of the girls’ school, Downtown Doral Elementary, were also in mourning on Wednesday as grief counselors were made available.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with their families, friends, our faculty, and staff at our elementary school, where they currently attended, and our upper school. Both students were deeply loved by their school, their teachers, and their peers,” Head of Schools Jeannette Acevedo-Isenberg said in an email to parents.
The girls were also members of the Doral Field Hockey team, which remembered them in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with their family, friends, and all those whose lives were touched by them,” the post read. “They were an important part of our community and will be remembered for their kindness, friendship, and the positive impact they had on everyone around them.”
Authorities haven’t said how long the bodies were inside the home or given a possible motive, but said the incident remains under investigation.
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If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.