MIRAMAR, Fla. – Sabrina was six weeks old. Her sister Samantha was two years old. Their mother, Marie Carmel Altidor, was 29. Their grandmother, Theresa Laverne, was 68. They were all murdered in Miramar.
The killer — who used a hammer or something like it to strike the girls — is still free, police said. The Miramar Police Department described the April 30, 1997 unsolved case on Friday as “the most heinous” crime detectives have faced during the city’s history.
The victims’ loved ones marked the painful 25th anniversary of their deaths on Saturday afternoon, at the St. Bartholomew Catholic Church and outside of the home where they were killed along South Crescent Drive.
“It feels like yesterday,” said Elain Laverne, who lost his mother, sister and two nieces.
Sabrina and Samantha used to live there with their parents Marie and George Altidor. Their maternal grandmother was visiting from Haiti to help care for them. Detectives said the killer beat, stabbed and shot the two women. Their bodies were in the dining room. Sabrina was in her bassinet. Samantha was on the floor in the family room.
The killer left a handwritten message on the wall: “I want my $100,000 drug money. They stole my drugs.” Detectives believe the message was meant to distract them from the real motive. There were no signs of forced entry, police said.
“It was a brutal slaying, overkill, and very personal,” Detective Danny Smith told Local 10 News in 2017.
Altidor, Marie’s husband, was visibly distraught in the hours after the murder.
While 25 years have passed, police have not cleared Altidor as a possible suspect. As of today, he has not been named a suspect or charged.
Police said the result of a DNA test could be what solves the case.
The family said they have faith that justice is around the corner and confident the killer or killers will be found.
“I am telling them today, get ready,” said Lena Kercy, a family friend. “They will be found.”
Detectives are asking anyone with information about the case to call the Miramar Police Department at 954-602-4120 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
Location
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Aura Martinez contributed to this report.