Miami real estate agent, ex-partner and two daughters found dead in murder-suicide; were in ‘toxic’ relationship for years

A Miami real estate agent, her two young daughters and their estranged father have been found dead in an apparent murder-suicide inside a family home in Florida.Melanie Hyer, 46, her daughters Savannah, 11, and Sienna, 8, and the children’s father, 42-year-old Ryan Charles Whiten, were discovered during a welfare check at Hyer’s home in Doral on Tuesday night, according to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office.Deputies said all four had suffered stab wounds and are considering the case to be a murder-suicide.Hyer was originally from Manhasset, New York and worked as a probate real estate agent in South Florida, focusing on luxury waterfront and commercial properties. According to her LinkedIn profile, she was also featured as an industry expert in various media outlets during her career.Police said Hyer and Whiten had separated years earlier but continued co-parenting their daughters. Both had previously been married to other partners and were later divorced, NBC6 reported.The nature of the relationship between Hyer and Whiten had been strained. Whiten’s ex-wife told 7 News Miami that their relationship had been “toxic” for years and involved a long-running dispute over custody of their children.However, she also said she was shocked by the news of the deaths and remembered Whiten as a devoted father. She said she had never seen any signs of violence between him and Hyer.“I don’t know what happened,” she said.She added that Whiten had feared losing custody of his daughters and had contacted her three weeks before the incident to express gratitude, a message she now believes may have been a quiet goodbye.Community leaders in Doral described the incident as devastating. Mayor Christi Fraga said she personally knew Hyer and her children and called the 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.She also described Hyer as “a light of sunshine” who was deeply involved in her children’s school life and always willing to help.