Widow of man killed in SW Dade hit and run asks public for help in finding his killer
MIAMI - The family of a man who died in a hit-and-run crash in southwest Miami-Dade earlier this month are asking for the public's help in finding the person responsible.
The morning of Nov. 11 should have been a typical trip to work for Alexis Muñoz and his wife Sahyli Brito-Martinez.
Police said Muñoz dropped his wife off at Costa Farms near 208 Street and 194 Avenue. He was riding on his scooter when he was hit by the driver of a gray pickup truck with a trailer hauling a stolen front loader, according to police.
Brito-Martinez said his death shattered the family's dream.
"Like all Cubans, we arrived with the dream of getting ahead," she said.
With tears rolling down her face, Brito-Martinez described how they had arrived from Cuba eight months ago with dreams of a new, better life in Florida.
Miami-Dade police have identified the driver of the truck as Senile Francisco Cabrera Talavera. Two weeks later they have still not taken him into custody.
"The initial crash was fully accidental, but what he did after that was one hundred percent, he knew exactly what he was doing. He removed the equipment, lifted the trailer and dragged the victim's lifeless body out from under the trailer. He reloaded it and then fled the scene, leaving the victim for dead on the side of the road," said Detective John Dalton
Police said not too long after the hit-and-run, Talavera continued southbound for 24 blocks before crashing into a fence and damaging plants at another farm along SW 194 Avenue, near SW 232 Street. There he reportedly had help in getting away. In addition to Talavera, police are also looking for the man who helped him.
"He is a suspect in the crime related to the stolen property," said Dalton. "He assisted the driver of the gray truck flee the scene."
Brito-Martinez hopes the public will help police find the two men so her family can have a sense of closure.
"He was a great man and he didn't deserve this," she said.