The four were found stabbed inside a home after a welfare check.

DORAL, Fla. — A 42-year-old father killed his two young daughters and their mother before taking his own life inside a gated Doral home on June 2, Miami-Dade sheriff’s detectives said after a welfare check led police to four bodies.

The deaths of Ryan Charles Whiten, Melanie Lauren Hyer, 46, Savannah Whiten, 11, and Sienna Whiten, 8, are being investigated as a murder-suicide by the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office Homicide Bureau. The finding has shaken Doral, a city west of Miami where Hyer was known through real estate work, television appearances and school ties. Detectives said the case remains active while they work with the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Doral police officers were called at about 7:32 p.m. June 2 to the area of Northwest 111th Court and Northwest 72nd Terrace after a family friend requested a welfare check. Officers entered the residence and found an adult woman, an adult man and two juvenile girls unresponsive. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue personnel pronounced all four dead at the scene. Investigators said preliminary findings showed each person had stab wounds. The sheriff’s office later identified Whiten as Savannah and Sienna’s biological father and Hyer as the girls’ mother. “The investigation revealed that Mr. Whiten committed these heinous acts and then took his own life,” the agency said.

The first public notice from the sheriff’s office did not say who detectives believed carried out the killings. That changed after investigators reviewed the scene and updated the case. Authorities have not released a full timeline of when the stabbings happened, whether a weapon was recovered, or whether any earlier police calls had been made to the home. The home was in Doral Isles, a gated community known for lakes, guarded entrances and family homes. The welfare call came from someone outside the house, which placed the first officers at the scene only after concern had already spread beyond the property.

Hyer and Whiten were not married, according to relatives and reporting that cited court records. They had been co-parenting Savannah and Sienna, and people familiar with the family described conflict over the girls. Whiten’s ex-wife, who divorced him in 2024 and was not identified publicly, said his relationship with Hyer had been toxic for years. She said Whiten had worried that Hyer would try to take the girls away from him. The Hyer family later said Melanie Hyer had full custody of the children and that Whiten had visitation. Detectives have not said whether any custody order, message or document is considered a motive in the killings.

The girls were students at Downtown Doral Charter Schools, which confirmed their deaths and said the school community was mourning. “Our community is mourning the loss of two of our beloved students,” a school representative said. “Our heartfelt sympathies are with their families, friends, faculty and staff at our schools. These students will be deeply missed.” The school arranged grief counselors for students and staff after the killings. Doral Mayor Christi Fraga also issued a public statement, saying she personally knew Hyer and that the loss of a mother and her two young daughters had hit the city hard.

Hyer’s public life added to the sense of shock. She worked in South Florida real estate and had appeared in local television segments. People who knew her described a professional who was active, visible and connected to the community around her. A journalist who had interviewed her said he had spoken with her about a month before she died and saw no sign of what was to come. The case moved from a police scene to a wider community loss as classmates, neighbors and parents learned that the victims included two children who had been part of everyday school life in Doral.

The legal path forward is limited by Whiten’s death. No criminal charges can be filed against a person who died at the scene, but detectives still must complete the investigative record. That includes confirming manner and cause of death through the medical examiner, reviewing the physical evidence, documenting the scene and closing gaps in the timeline. Investigators also must establish, as clearly as the evidence allows, when the killings occurred and what preceded them. The sheriff’s office said the homicide bureau is continuing to work with the medical examiner while the investigation remains active.

Parents near the school and the gated community described disbelief after learning how the family died. One nearby parent said the news was a parent’s worst nightmare. Another said the deaths were hard to accept, even as investigators were still collecting records and evidence. Fraga called the deaths an “unimaginable tragedy” and said her heart ached for the girls’ classmates, teachers, friends, neighbors and family members. Her comments reflected how quickly the case moved beyond one house and into the civic life of Doral, where the victims’ names were already known by the time detectives issued their update.

The case now stands with Whiten identified by detectives as the person who killed Hyer, Savannah and Sienna before killing himself. The next formal milestone is the medical examiner’s final findings, which had not been fully released as of July 7, 2026.

Author note: Last updated July 7, 2026.