A South Florida community is grieving after a prominent real estate agent and her two young daughters were found stabbed to death inside their home in what police are calling a “heinous” murder-suicide.
Authorities said 46-year-old Melanie Hyer and her daughters, 11-year-old Savannah and 8-year-old Sienna, were killed by Ryan Charles Whiten, 42, the girls’ father and Hyer’s former partner.
All four were found dead Tuesday night inside Hyer’s home in a gated community in Doral, Florida, after officers responded for a welfare check.
Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office detectives confirmed Thursday that Whiten killed Hyer and the two girls before taking his own life.
“The investigation revealed that Mr. Whiten committed these heinous acts and then took his own life,” officials said.
Authorities said all four died from stab wounds.
Investigators have not said how long the bodies were inside the home before they were discovered. A possible motive has also not been released, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Hyer and Whiten had separated years before the killings and had been co-parenting their daughters. Both had reportedly married other people after their split.
Court records obtained by NBC6 showed Hyer had finalized her divorce in March.
Whiten’s ex-wife, who divorced him in 2024 and asked not to be identified, told 7 News Miami that the relationship between Whiten and Hyer had been “toxic” for years because of a long and bitter battle involving the children.
She said Whiten feared Hyer might one day take the girls away from him, but said she was stunned by the killings.
“He was always so sweet with his girls and loved them deeply. I don’t know what happened,” she told the outlet.
Hyer, originally from Manhasset, New York, was a probate real estate agent in South Florida. According to her LinkedIn profile, she specialized in luxury waterfront and commercial properties and appeared as an industry expert on multiple news outlets during her career.
Doral Mayor Christi Fraga remembered Hyer as a devoted mother and active member of the community.
Fraga called her “a light of sunshine” who was “always eager to help at school and to be involved as a mom.”
“When I got the news, it definitely hit close to home,” Fraga wrote on Instagram.
Savannah and Sienna were students at Downtown Doral Elementary and played on the Doral Field Hockey team.
The team shared a heartbreaking tribute to the girls on Instagram, saying they were an important part of the community.
“They were an important part of our community and will be remembered for their kindness, friendship, and the positive impact they had on everyone around them,” the team wrote. “We will miss them dearly, may they rest in peace.”
A Catholic Mass in memory of Hyer and her daughters was scheduled for Friday night. Organizers asked the public to pray for “comfort and strength for their family and loved ones.”
The deaths have left neighbors, classmates, friends and loved ones searching for answers after a mother and two little girls were killed in the place where they should have been safest.
For the Doral community, the tragedy is almost impossible to comprehend: a successful mother, two beloved children, and a family dispute that police say ended in an unthinkable act of violence.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, call or text 988 for free and confidential support.
