Two Florida residents were arrested for looting the Coral Gables home of two Americans killed in a Kenyan helicopter crash. Geybert Alexander Garcia and Melany Perdomo allegedly stole luxury cars and valuables shortly after the August 2024 tragedy.
The Range Rover and Porsche Taycan taken from Valencia Avenue
The tragedy began on August 19, 2024, when a Eurocopter EC130 B4 crashed near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County, Kenya. According to the report, the accident claimed the lives of seven people, including real estate founder Adam Hlavaty and aviator Henry Parra, who were traveling from the Loisaba Conservancy toward the Ewaso Nyiro area.
Almost immediately after news of the crash reached the United States, the victims' residence on Valencia Avenue in Coral Gables was targeted. A housekeeper reported the intrusion on August 23, discovering the home in a state of ruin. Beyond the chaos, the thieves made off with high-value assets, including a Porsche Taycan and a Range Rover, as well as jewelry, electronics, and valuable artwork.
A stolen MacBook and a Hialeah bedroom clost
Law enforcement officials were able to track the suspects through digital footprints. As reported by the source, police traced a stolen MacBook belonging to one of the victims to a property in Hialeah. During the subsequent raid, officers found 40-year-old Geybert Alexander Garcia attempting to hide inside a bedroom closet, while 24-year-old Melany Perdomo was located in the upstairs living area.
The search of the Hialeah residence yielded critical evidence linking the duo to the Coral Gables crime. Officers recovered numerous pieces of the victims' artwork and the specific key fobs required to operate the stolen Range Rover. Both Garcia and Perdomo now face multiple charges, including grand theft motor vehicle and burglary of an unoccupied dwelling.
Geybert Alexander Garcia's decade of burglary convictions
The legal pursuit of Geybert Alexander Garcia is being intensified due to his extensive criminal history. The investigation revealed a pattern of prior convictions spanning the last ten years, specifically involving the possession of stolen property and burglary.. Prosecutors are using this history to argue for heightened severity in the current case.
Beyond simple theft, prosecutors have suggested that Garcia's background in money laundering and burglary indicates that this specific heist may not have been an isolated incident. There are indications that the burglary of the Valencia Avenue home could be lined to a broader, more organized criminal enterprise.
A notarized document and the mystery of inside knowledge
The legal proceedings took a strange turn during a bond hearing when counsel for Geybert Alexander Garcia presented a notarized document. This document allegedly came from a family member of the deceased, claiming that Garcia had explicit permission to use the vehicles and the home. However, Judge Mindy Glazer expressed skepticism regarding the document's authenticity, leading to a probable-cause hearing and Garcia being held without bond.
A central question remains:how did the suspects know the home was vacant so quickly? The burglary allegedly occurred between August 20 and August 22, a window that opens almost immediately after the Kenyan crash. It remains unverified whether the suspects had a pre-existing relationship with the victims or if they were monitoring the victims' movements and the subsequent news of their deaths.
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