BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – The family of 28-year-old Rondell Edwards now making a public plea — asking for help to bring home their eldest son whose body was recovered in Tamarac canal on Monday.
“He would brighten up anybody’s day, anybody. If he knew you or not,” said Edwards’ mother, Alina Alvarado. “Just taking it one day at a time. I have to be strong for them, my other children.”
On Monday, Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies located the 2003 SUV Edwards was driving.
Local 10 News spoke with Edwards’ fiancé as divers recovered his body and lifted the vehicle out of the water.
“It’s like I’m in this bad dream that I can’t wake up from,” she said. “Every time I go to pinch myself, I don’t feel anything.”
The challenge now is for loved ones to bring home his remains from South Florida to New Jersey…. Which comes with a price tag north of 35- hundred dollars.
“We have a little bit for the funeral,” said Edwards’ father, Hector Alvarado. “We didn’t anticipate that there would be a cost for his body to come back.”
Edwards’ loved ones say that he was a light and is going to be missed dearly by a lot of people.
“He’s not going to be forgotten, especially by my three granddaughters,” said Hector Alvarado. “I’m gonna make sure his memory lives through them.”
The family is sharing their GoFundMe page for anyone who would like to donate and said that “any amount helps.”
Detectives said Edwards’ death and how he ended up in the canal are under investigation.