TAMARAC, FLA. (WSVN) - Grieving family members are sharing their heartbreak and asking for the public’s help, days after their loved one was found dead inside his car in a Tamarac canal.
Speaking with 7News via Zoom on Friday, the family of Rondell Edwards said they are focused on bringing back his body to the family home in New Jersey for a funeral service.
“We’re just looking for some help in regards to having his body brought back to New Jersey,” said a family member. “We have a little bit of money toward the service. We just didn’t anticipate the cost of bringing his body back.”
“When he opened his eyes, I was the first person he saw, and to not have that,” said Adina Alvarado, Edwards’ mother, as she fought back tears.
The grieving mother is flooded with memories of her oldest son.
“Do it really get better? Not having him here, do it really get better?” she said. “And another part of your heart is just gone, it’s gone. Birthdays, holidays, it’s gone.”
Edwards went missing on Sunday. His fiancée created missing person posters as she desperately searched for him. His family said it was unlike him to disappear.
One day later, investigators found Edwards in his car submerged in a canal.
According to Edwards’ fiancée, his phone was pinned to the Tamarac neighborhood, where the car was found.
Family members describe Edwards as a constant light — one that shines through them, through their memories and the darkness of their grief.
“He deserves to have a funeral because, no matter who you talk to, he was just a light for everyone,” said a family member. “He deserves the biggest funeral ever.”
“Everybody loved him. Whether it was his family or not, he treated you as family. That’s just the way he was raised,” said Alvarado.
As the investigation into his death continues, Edwards’ loved ones hope the public can help by donating anything they can in their GoFundMe account to raise money to bring him home.
“We just want to thank anybody in advance. Any little bit can help, no matter what the amount,” said a family member.
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