A South Florida community is mourning after real estate agent Melanie Hyer, 46, her daughters Savannah, 11, and Sienna, 8, and the girls’ father, Ryan Whiten, 42, were found dead from stab wounds inside a Doral home during a welfare check.
Investigators with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office believe the case was an apparent murder-suicide, though the investigation remains ongoing and autopsy results are pending.
Hyer was a well-known Miami-area real estate professional, while she and Whiten, despite separating years ago, continued co-parenting their daughters. Reports indicate the former couple had been involved in a long-running custody dispute.
Whiten’s ex-wife described him as a loving father and said she was shocked by the tragedy. She recalled a conversation with him weeks earlier that now feels like a possible goodbye.
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga called the deaths an “unimaginable tragedy,” offering condolences to the family, friends, classmates, and community members affected by the loss.
Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the heartbreaking incident.