A cousin said she accompanied Denis Polo Fuentes to retrieve belongings from an apartment where investigators say the fatal shooting unfolded.
MIAMI-DADE, Fla. — A relative of a woman killed in a northeast Miami-Dade murder-suicide said she accompanied her cousin to retrieve personal belongings before a visit to an apartment turned deadly Wednesday evening.
Maria Espinosa told NBC6 that she went with 57-year-old Denis Del Carmen Polo Fuentes to the apartment where 64-year-old Franky Paba was staying. Espinosa said Polo Fuentes and Paba had separated several months earlier. The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said deputies later found Polo Fuentes and Paba dead inside the residence.
Investigators said Polo Fuentes went into the apartment to collect her belongings after Paba allowed her inside. Authorities said Paba then produced a firearm and shot Polo Fuentes before dying by suicide. Deputies responded around 7 p.m. to the complex near Northeast 14th Avenue and 171st Street.
Espinosa’s account provides new detail about the period immediately before the shooting. She said Paba emerged with a gun and prevented the women from freely leaving the residence. She also described Polo Fuentes pleading to be allowed to collect her belongings and leave.
Espinosa said she witnessed the fatal confrontation involving her cousin. Her account is consistent with the broad sequence released by investigators, who said Polo Fuentes was shot before Paba died by suicide. Authorities have not publicly released a full investigative report describing each moment inside the apartment.
Family members described Polo Fuentes and Paba as a couple who had separated. Paba’s sister told NBC6 that the two had been experiencing difficulties before the shooting. Law enforcement officials initially said they were working to establish the relationship between the two people found dead.
Espinosa also said her cousin had tried to obtain a restraining order before her death. That claim has not been verified. NBC6 reported that it contacted police and searched court records but did not locate paperwork showing that such an order had been filed or issued.
The absence of confirmed court records leaves that part of the family’s account unresolved. Authorities have not announced whether investigators found previous reports involving the pair or whether law enforcement had been called to the residence before Wednesday’s shooting.
Espinosa described Polo Fuentes as a happy person who came to the United States from Colombia about 10 years ago and had been preparing to move forward with her life. Those details came from the family and have not been presented by investigators as factors in determining what led to the shooting.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office has identified the deaths as a murder-suicide. No additional suspect has been announced, and authorities have not publicly detailed a motive beyond the circumstances surrounding Polo Fuentes’ visit to collect her belongings.
Author note: Last updated October 30, 2026.