Miami real estate agent, estranged ex and their 2 daughters found dead in apparent murder-suicide
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...