Woman Found Burning in the Trash an Ex-Model: Police
Paula Sladewski was visiting Miami for New Year's when she disappeared
AP
A model walks on the ramp during a presentation. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)
Police have identified the body of a woman found in a burning trash bin in North Miami earlier this week.
Paula Sladewski, 26, went missing after traveling from California to go to the Lady Gaga concert at the Fontainbleau on New Year's Eve with her boyfriend.
Some time over the weekend, the couple got into an argument, according to the Miami New Times, and Sladewski, a native of Michigan, stormed off never to be seen alive again. The body was found on NE 130th just off Archer Road on Sunday in an empty bin.
Police used dental records to piece together the charred body's identity and homocide detectives are currently investigating what may have led to Sladewski's demise. They have not announced a cause of death.
Sladewski's relatives said she was an aspiring model who saw the profession as her dream despite falling short many times. Among her credientials on the talent scout website IMDb.com is a video called "Playboy: The Ultimate Playmate Search" released in 2003.
"She went on a lot of interviews but never landed anything big,'' Sladewski's stepfather, Richard Watkins told the Miami Herald. "She would have loved that, modeling, that was her dream.''
Sladewski's boyfriend called her parents on Jan. 4 to say she was missing and to see if they had heard from her, reports the Miami Herald. It happened to be the missing model's mom's birthday.
"The birthday she'll never forget,'' Watkins said.
Police said the boyfriend, who has not been named, is a person of interest in the case but no charges have been filed.
