Mother, daughters found murdered inside home

MIAMI (WSVN) -- Police are investigating after a mother and her two daughters were found dead inside a home.

Relatives have been left devastated. "Whoever it is, we're going to catch him," said a sister of the victim, as she arrived on the scene.

According to police, a neighbor went inside the home, located on Northwest Fourth Street and 73rd Avenue, at around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, and found the mother and her two daughters dead inside a closet. "The neighbor, who was inside the residence, noticed a foul order that she did not recognize," said Miami-Dade Police Detective Roy Rutland. "She then went and searched the home. Inside the closet, this neighbor found the body of a mother and that mother's two daughters."

That neighbor has identified the victim as Gladys Machado, who she had not heard from since Friday. She also said her daughters were 4 and 8 years old.

She also said Machado worked at a nearby Beauty School of America, off Southwest Eighth Street and 67th Avenue. Employees there said they could not comment on the case. They only expressed their condolences to the Machado family. "It was just bad enough that they killed her but to, on top of it, kill the kids?" said one employee. "The kids had nothing to do with anything. They're innocent."

Fellow employees also added that they could not comment whether Machado had been at work on Monday or Tuesday. No one said whether they had seen her any time after Friday.

Miami-Dade Police crime scene investigators spent all day and all night at the scene. They would not leave until 5 or 6 in the morning, the next day, after more than 12 hours at the house, searching for every clue possible as to what occurred.

Maria, a neighbor, was left unnerved by the news of the murders. She said she could not sleep all night Tuesday. "I feel sorry for what happened," she said, "and it's very close to you. I mean the energies around this..."

Olga Espinosa was destroyed to learn her friend and her two daughters were murdered. She said she spoke to Machado late last week. "I spoke to her on Friday," said Espinosa with tears in her eyes. "We were planning to go out to the club, and she told me she didn't have plans to go out that day."

Police said they are now searching for a killer and will not stop until they have someone in custody. "There is no question we have the murder of a woman and two kids, so there is a public safety concern," said Rutland. "We know there is someone out there who did this. As far as to whether or not if this is someone who knew them, it's still too early to tell."

Police have not released any information on how Machado and her daughters were killed. When asked if she had any idea who would want to murder this family, Espinosa said, "I really don't know. I have no idea."

Police are keeping details close to their vest. They have not released a possible motive or who the woman and her two daughters lived with. Though he said police do have some leads to follow, Rutland explained, "There is nothing more important to us than the integrity of the investigation. Every single thing matters, from the cause of death to where the bodies were located. Obviously, we are going to follow every lead that we have. We are going to follow those leads until we have exhausted all leads."

The 6-year-old brother of the two girls was safe with relatives when the bodies were discovered.

If you have any information on these murders, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.

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