Authorities are investigating a harrowing double homicide after two individuals—35-year-old Chastidy Charlotte Rodríguez and a man identified as Darius Coon—were found shot to death inside a parked truck in downtown Miami.
The grim discovery was made on the morning of Saturday, July 19, in a vehicle located at 230 Northeast 4th Street, as confirmed by the Miami Police Department. Both Rodríguez and Coon sustained multiple gunshot wounds, though investigators have not yet disclosed a clear motive for the killings.
Rodríguez, a New York resident of Dominican descent, had traveled to Miami for work. She was employed as a dancer at a local nightclub and had stopped responding to phone calls in the days leading up to her death. Concerned friends and family reported her missing, prompting an intense search effort.
Her friend, Francheska Martínez, revealed in an interview with Telemundo 51 that she was the last person to speak with Rodríguez shortly before 2:30 a.m. on Thursday. According to Martínez, Rodríguez had mentioned meeting someone from Detroit, a man she had encountered at one of the clubs where she worked. “What I had was practically two days spent with that individual,” Martínez said, hinting at the brief timeline of events leading up to the tragedy.
Rodríguez’s brother, Randy Parra, traveled from New York in the hopes of locating his sister alive. Instead, he received a devastating message: “We received a message indicating that they have located the car with two bodies,” he told local news outlets.
While both Rodríguez and Coon died from gunshot injuries, authorities have suggested that Coon may not be responsible for Rodríguez’s death, raising the possibility of third-party involvement. Detectives are actively investigating the case and are urging anyone with information to come forward.
Rodríguez is being remembered as a vibrant woman and a devoted mother. “She was an excellent mother; she was a good mother to my nephew,” her brother shared. Friends and family gathered in New York to hold a memorial service in her honor, calling for justice and clarity surrounding her death.
The Miami Police Department’s Homicide Unit continues to investigate and encourages anyone with relevant details to contact them or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers.
If you have any information that may assist investigators, please call 305-471-TIPS. All tips can be provided anonymously.
