A mother and her two daughters were found dead at 7310 NW 4th St. Tuesday night, Miami-Dade Police said.
The bodies of the mother and the girls, ages 4 and 8, were found in a closet, police said.
A neighbor who has access to the house was inside at about 2:30 p.m. when she smelled a foul odor, went to the bedroom walk-in closet and found the three bodies there, police said.
"What we have behind me is a mom and her two daughters, that appeared to have been murdered inside the house behind me," Miami-Dade Police spokesman Det. Roy Rutland told reporters.
Friends identified the mother as Gladys Machado. Olga Espinoza said she was very special, friendly, outgoing and pretty.
The children’s father arrived on the scene late Tuesday night. He did not comment.
A 6-year-old boy belonging to the family was found alive at another location, police said.
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Police were careful with their words when talking about the case.
"There's no question, we have the murder of a woman and two kids, so there is a public safety concern, we know there is somebody out there who did this," Rutland said. "As far as whether or not this was somebody who knew them, it's still too early to tell, we are exhausting all leads and we will continue throughout the night."
The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner's Department will determine the cause and manner of the deaths of the mother and two children, police said.
