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Fathers Bonded By Tragedy Mark Anniversary Of Girl's Death

FT. LAUDERDALE (CBS4) - A heartbreaking fraternity of three fathers stood shoulder to shoulder Monday at the Broward Sheriff's Office.

They all shared the pain of losing a child.

Carlos Aguilar's son Christian was murdered in Gainesville last year.

Patrick Session's daughter Tiffany vanished from Gainesville in February 1989.

Both Christian and Tiffany were University of Florida students when they disappeared. Sessions told her roommate she was going for a walk, but never returned.

Aguilar was last seen alive on surveillance video entering a Gainesville Best Buy store with his former Doral Academy classmate Pedro Bravo.

Bravo has been charged with kidnapping and first degree murder in his friend's death.

Sessions and Aguilar were joined by Gary Karp. His daughter Marissa was murdered 11 years ago to the day. Karp's mission since then has been to find her killer.

"It doesn't get easier, you learn to live with it. People ask me what it's like, and I basically say 'My world stopped spinning August 19 of 2002'," said Karp.

Marissa's body was found in a trash bag in the Everglades. Investigators believe they know what happened.

"We believe that the victim was staying in Hallandale Beach with a group of individuals, some of them were from the Bahamas involved in the drug trade," said Broward Sheriff's Detective John Curcio. "She was shot inside the apartment and transported out to Collier County."

Sheriff's investigators have a broad picture of what happened but are still looking for specific details.

"Several months back the victim's boyfriend at the time, Armando Coakley, was shot and killed in the Bahamas," said Curcio. "We were hoping we would receive some information from people who either knew or heard about the victim's death from Armando Coakley and had kept silent over the years either because of a sense of loyalty to Mr. Coakley or fear from Mr. Coakley."

A digital billboard donated by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood is also helping to spread the word. The billboard located at I-95 and Hallandale Beach Boulevard in Pembroke Park asks the question, "Who murdered Marissa Karp?" and directs anyone with knowledge of the crime to phone in information to (954) 493-TIPS.

"Pick up the phone, whether you want to call for the reward, or whether you just have a conscience, or you have a tip that you think might help us, just call Crime Stoppers at (954) 493-TIPS," said Karp.

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