The brother of a woman who was shot and killed while driving down Interstate 95 in Miami traveled from Cuba in the hopes to find more answers nearly two years after his sister's murder.
Investigators still don't know who shot 22-year-old Melissa Gonzalez back in January 2020 as she drove with her boyfriend southbound on the highway near Northwest 79th Street.
"I don’t understand how the person could still be at peace," Adolfo Gonzalez said.
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Adolfo, Melissa's brother, made it to Miami for the first time since she was murdered.
He — along with his daughter and son — made the long journey as migrants, traveling 19 days. They came from Cuba, then to Nicaragua, and then to Miami, where he was approved to enter the country on Thursday.
"We’ve been out for 19 days," he said. "We are very lucky. My daughter never got sick, thanks to this country giving us a chance to start a new life."
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Melissa was shot near the Northwest 79th Street exit while she was driving her silver Chevy Sedan.
"My daughter still doesn’t know she’s dead, and neither does my son, but we’re still talking to her like she’s around because, in our hearts, she’s still alive," Adolfo said.
Melissa had just graduated from Florida International University and had plans to go to law school.
For Adolfo, the trip to the U.S. isn’t just for answers about his sister's death — it’s also an opportunity to pay his final farewell in person.
"I couldn’t say goodbye to her," he said. "It was between my dad and me, and we decided for him to go say goodbye."
