The sister of an aspiring model whose body was found burning in a trash bin after a night of clubbing in Miami has come to town to seek out her sister's killer.
Kelly Farris, the sister of Paula Sladewski, flew to Miami from her home in Michigan to ask for the public's help in bringing her sister's killer to justice.
"It's been hell," Farris said yesterday, the same day Crimestoppers announced they would be upping the reward for the killer's arrest to $15,000. Farris spent the day distributing flyers with the new reward amount.
It's been almost a month since the charred remains of Sladewski, 26, were found in a trash bin near a North Miami warehouse.
Sladewski was in town from California for New Year's with her boyfriend, Kevin Klym. The two had been at Club Space into the early hours of Sunday, Jan. 3, until Klym was kicked out of the club, leaving Sladewski to fend for herself. Her body was found later that day, 12 miles from the club in a bin on NE 130th just off Archer Road.
Farris has retracing her sisters steps, playing the last hours of her life in her head.
Sladewski was captured on a surveillance video leaving the club alone, but witnesses may have seen her leave with a suspect after she got outside the club. Authorities released a sketch of the possible suspect earlier today.
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"Hopefully this sketch composite will lead to information leading to the person that was last seen with Paula walking away from Club Space," said Lt. Neal Cuevas with the North Miami Police Department.
As for Klym, Cuevas said he remains a person of interest to detectives.
"Although most of what he has told us has turned out to be exactly as he has said, there are a couple of things we still need to get to the bottom of to completely rule him out," Cuevas said.
Farris said she doesn't believe Klym had anything to do with her sister's murder, but that doesn't forgive his leaving her alone at the club.
"He's gotta live with the guilt the rest of his life, that he left her there, and that's punishment enough," Farris said.
