Miami

Bodies Found in Submerged Car Identified as Alexandra Picon and Brandon Arana

Authorities have identified the bodies found in a car submerged in water in southwest Miami-Dade as a young couple who went missing earlier in the week.

The medical examiner's office has confirmed that the bodies of Alexandra Picon and Brandon Arana were in the car, Miami-Dade Police said Friday.

The red Toyota Corolla was found Thursday morning in the area of Southwest 268th Street and Southwest 111th Avenue, police said. A nearby guardrail was damaged and debris, including car parts, were laying on the ground.

Police and family had been search for Picon and Arana, both 21, since they vanished Sunday morning. Detectives said the couple, who were last seen leaving the Cadillac Ranch at Town & Country Mall, had left together in the Corolla. The vehicle's SunPass account registered them passing the Kendall Toll Plaza headed southbound on the Florida Turnpike.

Police are investigating how the car ended up in the water but said it appears to have been a traffic crash.

A memorial service for Alexandra Picon will be held Saturday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Van Orsdel Funeral Chapels and Crematory located at 11220 north Kendall drive in Miami.

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