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| Maria Sanchez (left), Destiny Banuelos (right) |
Maria Sanchez (36) and Destiny Banuelos (16) were found deceased inside a Pine Hills, Florida home on February 15th, 2016. The mother and daughter were both shot to death. Their deaths were quickly ruled a homicide - and their case still unfortunately remains unsolved today.
Maria and Destiny are originally from Oregon. She had her first two children - a son and then Destiny - before marrying her husband Jerry Ledbetter Jr. and having three more children with him. The family moved from Oregon to Florida, but at some point, Ledbetter and their three children returned to Oregon. Destiny reportedly went back to Oregon as well but returned to Florida prior to the murders.
According to WFTV 9, Maria and Destiny lived at the Coalition for the Homeless in Orlando before eventually moving into a Pine Hills residence owned by a man named Glenn Sylvester. It was in that residence where Maria and Destiny were brutally shot to death. Several questions remain about what exactly happened to them. Namely, who killed them? And why?
Reports state that Sylvester left his home on the morning of the murders, and when he returned that afternoon, he found both Maria and Destiny deceased. Sylvester said he then had neighbors call 911. Police arrived shortly thereafter and began investigating the scene.
There was reportedly no sign of forced entry at the residence, nor was anything missing from the home. Some neighbors were interviewed by reporters shortly after the crime; none mentioned seeing or hearing anything suspicious on the day of the murders. One neighbor stated that Maria and Sylvester were dating. Sylvester has never been named a suspect or person of interest in the case.
In the early stages of the investigation, police stated that they did not have any suspects, but nobody had been ruled out. Now that years have passed, it's unclear if that statement is still true. There has been very little reporting on the case over the years, so the status of the investigation is unknown.
The Orange County Sheriff's Office has investigative agency of the murders of Maria and Destiny. If you have any information that could help solve the case, please contact authorities at (407) 254-7000. To remain anonymous and possibly be eligible for a reward, call Crimeline at (800) 423-TIPS.
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