A prominent South Florida real estate agent, her two young daughters and their father were found dead inside a Doral, Florida home in an apparent murder-suicide.
Melanie Hyer, 46, her daughters Savannah, 11, and Sienna, 8, and their father, Ryan Charles Whiten, 42, were discovered Tuesday night during a welfare check.
Authorities said all four suffered stab wounds. Investigators believe the deaths were an apparent murder-suicide, though the case remains under investigation and autopsy results are pending.
Hyer and Whiten had ended their relationship years earlier but continued co-parenting their daughters. They had reportedly been involved in an ongoing custody dispute.
Whiten’s former wife said he deeply loved his daughters and had contacted her about three weeks before the tragedy to thank her for being part of his life. Looking back, she believes it may have been a goodbye.
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga called the deaths an “unimaginable tragedy” and offered condolences to the family, friends, teachers and the wider community.
The investigation remains active.