Grieving Mother Pleas For Public's Help After Woman's Body Pulled From Miami Gardens Canal
MIAMI GARDENS (CBSMiami) - A South Florida mother is asking for the public's help in finding the person or persons who took the life of her 41-year-old daughter who was a mother of two girls and a teacher at Miami Norland Senior High School.
"This is heartbreaking. She was my only child," said Linda Russell, the mother of the victim Kameela Russell who is speaking out for the first time. "And I just hope that somebody out there can help me have some closure for me and her 2 girls."
Russell told CBS4's Peter D'Oench, "This is very, very difficult because with her personality, she was always very friendly and everybody loved her and for this to happen it's like a total shock. I don't understand any of it."
"She liked all of her friends and everybody's saying she had a smile all the time and the kids loved her and all the students loved her," said Russell. "She was always there for her kids, for me and for my sister. We always did things together. We had a great life."
"I hope that whoever did this, well it's just so difficult that I could not even see her remains and I have known her all my life and for someone to just discard her like a piece of garbage like there and there's nothing left for me to see to get closure. I don't know who can be so heartless to do something like that."
"I miss my daughter so much and I don't know what's going on," she said. "I am just pleading with the public, please if you know anything, if you saw anything, please come forward and let the police know.
Kameela Russell had been missing for nearly two weeks before her body was found and pulled from a canal last Saturday.
A verification of death certificate reveals Russell died from blunt head injury and her death is being ruled a homicide.
Her badly decomposed body was discovered Saturday afternoon in a canal at NW 207th Street and 15th Avenue, following an anonymous tip, according to Miami Gardens police spokesman Carlos Austin.
Russell was last seen Wednesday, May 15 as she pulled up to her aunt's home along NW 203rd Street and 15th Avenue.
She was a teacher at Miami Norland Senior High School.
Residents in the neighborhood that live down the street from where Russel's aunt lives say there was a lot of police activity around one particular home during the height of the investigation.
Ownership of that home has ties to Norland High, as does the young man who lived there with his mother, neighbors say.
The home is also near the canal where the body was found.
Residents say the mother and son have not been seen for a while.
A statement by Miami-Dade County Public Schools reads, "Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) is deeply saddened about the painful and shocking news involving the passing of a Miami Norland Senior High School teacher. All available counseling resources will be deployed to the school immediately to assist students and staff during this extremely difficult time. School district staff and Miami-Dade Schools Police will continue to work with the Miami Gardens Police Department, which has been handling this case since the employee's disappearance from her home. The entire M-DCPS family is heartbroken. We ask that the community join us as we keep Kameela Russell's loved ones in our prayers."
Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho also tweeted about the tragedy.
An unbearably painful week for @MDCPS. We ache for Kameela Russell's grieving loved ones and pray they find the strength to bear the pain of this heartbreaking loss. District Crisis team has been deployed to @MiamiNorlandSHS to help students and staff during this difficult time.
— Alberto M. Carvalho (@MiamiSup) May 29, 2019
Late Wednesday morning, Miami Garens Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt led a delegation of police officers as they went to the aunt's home and told them the sad news.
Anyone with information that can help them should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477). There's a reward of up to $3,000.
