Badly decomposed body found dumped in a Florida canal belongs to a single mother and teacher who vanished two weeks ago
- Kameela Russell, 41, was last seen alive when she pulled up to her aunt’s home in Miami Gardens, Florida on May 15
- Police pulled her decomposed body from a canal less than a mile from her aunt’s home on Saturday afternoon
- Russell’s death is being treated as a homicide after the medical examiner found she died from a blunt force injury to her head
- Authorities had received an anonymous tip about her body being in the canal
A badly decomposed body found dumped in a Florida canal belongs to a single mother and teacher who has been missing for two weeks.
Kameela Russell, 41, was last seen alive when she pulled up to her aunt’s home in Miami Gardens on May 15 but failed to ever make her way inside.
Police pulled her decomposed body from a canal less than a mile from her aunt’s home on Saturday.
Russell’s death is being treated as a homicide after the medical examiner found she died from a blunt force injury to her head.
Kameela Russell, 41, was last seen alive when she pulled up to her aunt’s home in Miami Gardens on May 15 but failed to ever make her way inside
Authorities had received an anonymous tip about her body being in the canal.
They have not released any further details about the investigation or a potential suspect.
Russell, who is a single mother of two girls, had arrived at her aunt’s house in Miami Gardens on May 15 so she could pick up one of her daughters and take her to a gymnastics class.
Her aunt had spotted her black Audi pulling into the driveway of the home along NW 203rd Street and 15th Avenue but became concerned when she never came inside to collect her daughter.
Russell’s family promptly reported her missing, saying it was unlike her to disappear.
She then failed to show up for work as a test administrator at Miami Norland Senior High School for the rest of the week.
Authorities shut down 203rd Street as they investigated her disappearance.
Police pulled her decomposed body from a canal less than a mile from her aunt’s home on Saturday. Russell’s death is being treated as a homicide after the medical examiner found she died from a blunt force injury to her head
Authorities had received an anonymous tip about her body being in the canal, which was less than a mile from where she was last seen alive in her aunt’s driveway
There was a heavy police presence around the home of a former colleague near 15th Avenue, according to WSVN.
Her family continued to hold out hope when the body was found on Saturday.
Detectives were spotted arriving at the home of Russell’s relatives on Tuesday after the medical examiner confirmed the identity of the body.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district said they were ‘deeply saddened about the painful and shocking news involving the passing’ of Russell.
They said counselling resources would be made available for staff and students.
‘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 statement read.
‘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.’
Friends described Russell as a beautiful, positive person who had a huge heart and an infectious smile.
Police are still investigating her homicide.
Russell was a single mother of two daughters and worked as a test administrator at Miami Norland Senior High School
Her aunt had spotted her black Audi pulling into the driveway of the home along NW 203rd Street and 15th Avenue but became concerned when she never came inside to collect her daughter.