Homestead teen dies after being intubated in hospital with COVID-19

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – A South Florida mother is mourning the death of her teenage daughter, who died last week after contracting COVID-19.

Estelia Perez was only 16 years old. Her family is from Guatemala and, as you can imagine, is devastated.

Her mother spoke with Local 10 News Monday, saying she never thought this pandemic nightmare would hit so close to home. She said she is beyond heartbroken.

According to her mother, Estelia was born with underlying medical conditions that made her among those most vulnerable to the coronavirus. She said Estelia came down with a fever in early July that went on for about three days.

An ambulance took her to Nicklaus Children's Hospital on July 5. She was intubated until she died last Wednesday.

Estelia is survived by two brothers, who live with their mother in Homestead. Their father was deported back to Guatemala in 2010.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help Estelia’s family pay for her funeral service.


About the Author:

Louis Aguirre is an Emmy-award winning journalist who anchors weekday newscasts and serves as WPLG Local 10’s Environmental Advocate.