‘A wound that will never heal:’ Family of slain Doral woman, 2 girls releases statement

DORAL, Fla. — The family of a 46-year-old Doral woman who was slain alongside her daughters in what police said was a murder-suicide carried out by the girls’ father released a statement this week to the media.

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“We are the family of Melanie Lauren Hyer — her mother and her sister, and Alvin Jaramillo, the man who had the privilege of being her husband, and who remained one of her closest and most devoted friends until the day she was taken from us,” the statement read. “We speak together because Melanie deserves to have her story told accurately, and because her daughters — Savannah and Sienna — deserve the same.”

According to investigators, Doral police officers responded to the victims’ home in the gated Doral Isles community on the night of June 2 after a concerned family friend requested a welfare check.

Authorities said officers entered the home and found the victims dead, along with the girls’ father, 42-year-old Ryan Whiten. Police confirmed they all had stab wounds on their bodies.

“Ryan Whiten’s actions have shattered our family in ways that words cannot express,” Hyer’s family said. “Melanie was a woman of extraordinary warmth and fierce devotion to her daughters. Savannah and Sienna were joyful, bright, beloved girls who had their entire lives ahead of them. The loss of all three of them — violently, without warning — is a wound that will never heal.”

“We would like to clarify any confusion regarding the perpetrator of this heinous act,” the statement continued. “Ryan was the biological father of Savannah and Sienna. He and Melanie were never married, and he had a history of drug abuse. Melanie had full custody of the children with visitation by Ryan, who for a time lived in the same development. After Ryan viciously murdered Melanie and their two daughters, he took his own life.”

The statement identified Jaramillo as Melanie’s ex-husband, who the family said “remains a loving part of the Hyer family.”

Friends of Hyer told Local 10 News that she was a loving mother and a real estate agent, who also supported South Florida nonprofit efforts, including literacy programs for children through The Lucy Project.

Hyer’s daughters, Savannah, 11, and Sienna, 8, were both students at Downtown Doral Academy.

“We are grateful for the outpouring of love from the Doral community, from Melanie’s wide network of colleagues and clients, from the families at Downtown Doral Academy and from the countless people whose lives she touched,” the family’s statement read. “Please hold the memory of Melanie, Savannah and Sienna gently in your hearts.”

The statement was signed, “With profound grief, Jill Hyer, Corry Hyer and Alvin Jaramillo.”

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Hyer’s obituary can be read in full below:

Melanie Lauren Hyer

46 years old — Devoted Mother, Daughter, Sister and Friend

Melanie Lauren Hyer, 46, was a devoted mother, a cherished daughter and sister, and one of South Florida’s most respected real estate professionals. Born and raised in Manhasset, New York, Melanie grew up with a deep sense of community, forming friendships that would span a lifetime. She was especially close to her older sister Corry, who was both her confidante and her companion through all of life’s adventures.

Melanie’s parents — her mother, Jill, and her father, Douglas Hyer — provided a loving and steadfast foundation on which she built her life. Jill was a constant and guiding presence from Melanie’s earliest days, a closeness that never dimmed and that extended warmly to Savannah and Sienna as they grew. A Spanish teacher while Melanie was growing up, Jill instilled in Melanie an excitement for foreign languages and an early passion for becoming fluent in several of them. Doug, who predeceased her, instilled in Melanie the values of hard work and excellence that would define everything she touched. Doug’s wanderlust for travel planted Melanie’s life-long pursuit of new countries and friends across the world.

Melanie attended Tulane University and studied in Madrid and Buenos Aires, which deepened her love of Latin culture and language. This became an asset when she decided at the age of 23 to relocate from New York to the warmth of Florida, settling in Miami. She was a woman with a fierce internal compass, one who charted her own course and held it. So, it comes as no surprise that she was in fact a captain at sea. A spirited and familiar presence on South Florida’s waterways, Melanie could be found standing at the helm with her daughters by her side, or on a boat entertaining groups of her many friends.

She built her career over more than two decades, beginning at Keller Williams Realty before co-founding Pro Estate Realty in 2022. In that time she sold over 1,000 properties across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, launched a development company of her own — buying and renovating properties as far north as Jupiter — and was a trusted voice in the industry and a frequent expert commentator in the media.

But what set Melanie apart was not the breadth of her work — it was the depth of her heart. She built her professional identity around probate real estate, a specialized field that guides families through one of the most difficult transitions imaginable: the transfer of a loved one’s home and assets after death. It takes a certain kind of person to choose this work — someone with patience, compassion and the rare ability to make people feel genuinely cared for at their most vulnerable. That was Melanie. Her warmth allowed her to excel in ways that numbers alone cannot capture.

Away from work, Melanie lived with equal passion. She was an avid traveler. Like her father, she put pins in the world map on her wall, illustrating the more than 20 countries she visited. Most recently, she went with Corry and friends to Greece on a “Sister’s Trip” where laughs, shopping and plenty of great wine and food ensued.

Closer to home, she was a vibrant presence in the Doral community. Doral Mayor Christi Fraga remembered her as “a light of sunshine,” and her longtime friend, journalist, attorney and war veteran Willard Shepard, described her as “extremely friendly and meticulous in everything she did.”

Above all else, Melanie was a mother. Savannah, 11, and Sienna, 8 — joyful, bright, beloved girls who had their entire lives ahead of them — were her greatest joy and her deepest purpose. Savannah is described as having a constant smile and the best heart. Sienna was a charismatic force who lit up every room she entered. They are also gone too soon.

Melanie is survived by her mother, Jill Hyer; her sister, Corry Hyer; her nephew, Archer Hyer, 13; her niece, Lexie Hyer, 12; and her beloved former husband and devoted, treasured friend, Alvin Jaramillo. She was predeceased by her father, Douglas Hyer. In her final journey, Melanie will be laid to rest alongside her daughters Savannah, 11 and Sienna, 8.

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