Woman finds bodies in Miami-Dade murder-suicide – NBC 6 South Florida

A woman who discovered the scene of a suspected murder-suicide in southwest Miami-Dade said the discovery of the bodies of family friends on Sunday left her “stunned.”

Family members said the victims were an 85-year-old woman, her ex-husband, her son and his wife. Police said the shooter was in his 60s but did not confirm names.

Joanna Cruz said she has known the victims for years. She came to the home on SW 137th Court in Kendale Lakes when her mother brought food to the elderly woman inside..

“She couldn’t cook anymore, so my mom came to give her food and she knocked and knocked and nothing. And she asked me to bring the key,” Cruz said.

What she found inside was a bloody scene.

“I saw the elderly lady on the bed and the body of the elderly man on the bed to the left, blood coming out of their mouths, and the woman in the other room,” Cruz said. “I feel like I’m in a nightmare.”

Cruz believes the fourth dead person inside the building fired the fatal shots.

“Good thing I didn’t see him, but I saw them. When I saw three, I said, ‘Where’s the fourth?’ I know there’s a fourth. And I ran out because I said, ‘If he’s still alive here, I’m next,'” Cruz said.

Police are investigating after a family member said four people were found dead in a home in southwest Miami-Dade on Sunday.

Officers found the victims’ bodies in different rooms of the house. Police said the shooter was in his 60s but could not confirm if he was the victims’ son.

The older woman’s stepson told NBC6 he had been trying to contact her for the past three to four days but had not received a response. When he went to check on her, he found her and the others dead as well.

According to police, officers were called to the house around 2 p.m. to check on the residents’ well-being. Apparently, a man shot the three other people before turning the gun on himself, police said.

Regarding the victims, Cruz said one of them was “just an older woman who was a wonderful person and a wonderful soul.”

A neighbor who asked not to be identified said Sunday that health care workers who were at the home last week had expressed concern.

“They were just concerned about the son because he didn’t seem to be doing well emotionally,” the neighbor said.

She said staff who made daily visits were unable to get into the home on Thursday and Friday.

“They kept calling and knocking on the door, and that’s when we called 911 on Friday, but they saw no movement inside, no reason to break in. They didn’t know if they had left or what,” the neighbor said.

Authorities believe the shooting was a domestic incident and urged people to seek help before resorting to violence.

“If you find yourself in a situation where your environment becomes dangerous, please call us. Call 911,” said Detective Angel Rodriguez of the Miami-Dade Police Department.

The shooting remains under investigation.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.orgYou can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/Resources for additional support.