MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FL — Authorities have identified the body of an 18-year-old woman found in a northwest Miami-Dade canal as Angelina Plasencia, who had been reported missing following a chaotic series of crashes late Sunday night.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, deputies first responded to the area of Northwest 72nd Avenue and Northwest 58th Street in Doral around 11:30 p.m. Sunday after receiving a missing person report. Despite an initial search, no sign of Plasencia was found at the time.
On Monday morning, detectives returned to the area and discovered a body floating in a nearby canal. The victim was confirmed Tuesday to be Plasencia.
Investigators believe the tragic chain of events began with a collision at Northwest 74th Avenue and Northwest 58th Street. After the initial crash, one occupant stayed behind to check on the other driver while the remaining passengers fled in the vehicle. Moments later, that same vehicle was involved in a second wreck on the northbound ramp of the Palmetto Expressway at Northwest 58th Street.
The occupants then abandoned the car, fled on foot, and arranged for a friend to pick them up on a motorcycle. Authorities say the motorcycle, carrying four people, crashed at Northwest 72nd Avenue and Northwest 58th Street, ejecting everyone.
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported a male and two females to a nearby hospital in critical condition. Plasencia, the fourth passenger, was later confirmed as the victim whose body was recovered from the canal.
Her family, who had launched a desperate search and even offered a $50,000 reward for her safe return, is now mourning her tragic loss.
The identities of the other individuals involved have not been released, and the case remains under investigation.