MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - Police have recovered human remains from a canal in Miami Gardens, more than a week after a mother of two went missing in the area.
According to Miami Gardens Police, the department received an anonymous call about a possible body floating in the area of Northwest 203rd Street and 17th Avenue, just before 5 p.m., Saturday.
A Miami-Dade Police Underwater Recovery unit responded to the scene and assisted in removing the remains from the canal.
Cellphone video captured crews removing the body in a gray plastic bag.
The body was taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office, where a post-mortem examination was expected to be performed on Sunday.
Officials said the body was badly decomposed, so they were unable to determine its race or gender.
A witness who did not want to be identified described to 7News the moment he first laid eyes on the body.
“I’d never seen a dead body before. I’d never smell one before. It was decomposed,” he said. “It smelled really, really bad. It’s definitely a smell that I cannot get out of my body, out of my throat.”
The grim discovery takes place while Miami Gardens Police continue their search for Kameela Russell, a test administrator at Miami Norland Senior High School.
Russell’s family said she was last seen as she pulled up to her aunt’s home along Northwest 203rd Street and 15th Avenue, May 15.
Tuesday afternoon, police shut down a residential street as they intensified their search.
Police continue to investigate.
If you have any information that could help police, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward.
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