Bodies found in submerged car in southwest Miami-Dade identified

Alexandra Picon, Brandon Arana reported missing Sunday

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The bodies of two people found dead in a submerged car in southwest Miami-Dade County have been identified by the medical examiner's office to be that of Alexandra Picon and Brandon Arana.

"We lost her physical body, but now she's omnipresent," Picon's cousin, Sofia Bodniza, told Local 10 News. "She's in the trees. She's in the wind. She's in your eyes."

The couple, both 21, were last seen Sunday morning after meeting to have a drink.

Miami-Dade police found the car Thursday morning in a canal near Southwest 268th Street and Southwest 107th Avenue.

Sky 10 was above the scene as the red Toyota Corolla was being removed from the water.

It appeared that the car crashed through a guardrail before ending up in the water. The crash site wasn't far from Arana's home.

"He was a nice person. We are in shock," Arana's uncle, Jorge Arguello, with whom he lived, said. "We never expected that one. We don't understand what happened. It was very strong for us, that news."

Private investigator Joe Carrillo, who was working with the family and police, said a cellphone signal led them to the lake where the bodies were discovered.

Arana and Picon's friends and family searched for the couple each day when they failed to return home from the Palms at Town & Country.

 


About the Authors:

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.