A high-profile Miami real estate agent, her two young daughters and their father were found stabbed to death in a gruesome scene inside their home in what police believe was a murder-suicide.
Melanie Hyer, 46, her daughters — Savannah, 11, and Sienna, 8 — and their father, Ryan Charles Whiten, 42, were found inside Hyer’s home in Doral, Fla., during a welfare check on Tuesday night, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.
All four family members had sustained stab wounds, police said.
“The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Homicide Bureau investigation is currently leading detectives to believe this incident was a murder-suicide,” officials said. “Investigators are continuing to work closely with the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office as the investigation remains active.”
Authorities are awaiting autopsy results from the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Hyer, originally from Manhasset, NY, worked as a probate real estate agent in South Florida, specializing in luxury waterfront and commercial properties, and appeared as an industry expert on multiple news outlets throughout her career, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Hyer and Whiten had separated years earlier and were co-parenting their daughters at the time of their deaths. Both had been married to other people but had since divorced, NBC6 reported.
Whiten’s ex-wife told 7 News Miami that the relationship between Hyer and Whiten had been “toxic” for years, and the two had been locked in a bitter fight over their daughters.
However, Whiten’s ex-wife — who divorced him in 2024 and asked not to be identified — said she was “shocked” by the news, remembering him as someone who was “always so sweet with his girls and loved them deeply.”
She said she had not observed any signs of violence between the two, but said Whiten feared Hyer would one day take his daughters away from him.
“I don’t know what happened,” she said.
Whiten’s ex-wife said he contacted her three weeks before the deaths to say how thankful he was to have her in his life — a message she now believes was his way of saying goodbye.
After news broke of the deaths, prominent members of the community spoke out about the tragedy that rocked South Florida.
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga — who said she knew Hyer and her daughters personally — called their deaths an “unimaginable tragedy.”
“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,” Fraga wrote in an Instagram post.
Fraga also told CBS News that Hyer was “a light of sunshine” who was “always eager to help at school and to be involved as a mom.”
Jeannette Acevedo-Isenberg, head of Downtown Doral Elementary where both girls were students, told parents Wednesday that grief counseling and emotional support animals would be available for anyone affected by their deaths.
“Both students were deeply loved by their school, their teachers, and their peers,” Acevedo-Isenberg wrote in an email obtained by NBC6.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling.
If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
