Woman’s murder in Miami Beach remains unsolved

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – It has been about three days since a 47-year-old woman turned up dead at the Sherry Frontenac Hotel in Miami Beach.

The murder of Marelbi Ruiz Lara remained unsolved on Friday and her friends said they had yet to understand the tragedy.

Marleny Usa described Ruiz Lara as “very friendly” and a woman who almost always had a cheerful disposition.

“We are still in shock,” Usa said in Spanish.

The Miami Beach Police Department had yet to provide a public update on their investigation. Adrian Gonzalez said he last saw Ruiz Lara on Dec. 3.

“She was happy,” Gonzalez said in Spanish. “Everything seemed perfectly fine.”

Gonzalez said he called her on Dec. 5, and he sent her a message.

“I wanted to know how she was doing, but she never answered,” Gonzalez said.

Usa, Gonzalez and Ruiz Lara’s son said she had been living with her boyfriend at the hotel while they worked on a construction project there.

Police officers found her dead on Tuesday after a friend requested a welfare check. The medical examiner’s officer removed her body from the hotel.

“I do not understand this situation,” Gonzalez said.