A Coral Gables couple who died in a helicopter crash in Kenya had their Valencia Avenue home ransacked just days later, with police saying two suspects made off with artwork, luxury vehicles, jewelry and business documents while the family grieved abroad. Coral Gables police arrested Geybert Alexander Garcia, 40, and Melany Perdomo, 24, in connection with the break-in at the home of Henry Parra, 55, and Adam Hlavaty, 42.
Parra and Hlavaty died on August 19 when the helicopter they were riding in crashed in northern Kenya's Samburu County, according to WPLG Local 10. The flight, operated for luxury safari provider &Beyond, went down near Mount Ololokwe at 9:13 a.m. local time while traveling from Loisaba Conservancy to Ewaso Nyiro, as reported by NewsRadio WFLA. The crash killed Parra, Hlavaty and five other people aboard.
Coral Gables police say the burglary at the couple's home in the 500 block of Valencia Avenue occurred sometime between last Thursday and Saturday, after the crash had already become public. The couple's housekeeper discovered the ransacked home on Sunday, according to the station's report.
What Investigators Say Was Taken
Garcia and Perdomo removed numerous items belonging to the couple, including artwork, vehicles, personal and business documents, jewelry and electronics, per the same account. Among the vehicles authorities say were stolen were a 2023 Land Rover and a 2020 Porsche Taycan. Investigators later recovered a sculpture belonging to the victims valued at more than $500,000, along with stolen documents and a Range Rover key fob.
A stolen MacBook belonging to the couple pinged at a home in the 8300 block of Northwest 195th Terrace, where Garcia and Perdomo lived together near unincorporated Palm Springs North in northwest Miami-Dade, the article notes. Coral Gables police and Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies executed a search warrant at that address, where the stolen Range Rover was also located.
Suspects Found Hiding, Fraudulent ID Tools Recovered
Officers say they found Garcia hiding in a closet and Perdomo in an upstairs bedroom during the search. According to the report, officers also found items and instruments consistent with producing or altering fraudulent identification documents and personal identifying information. Investigators additionally found a Ford F-250 with an altered VIN that had been stolen from Indian River County.
Garcia and Perdomo were charged with multiple felony offenses, including burglary and grand theft auto, and were being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. Perdomo, who was listed as born in Florida, had an immigration hold entered into her jail record. Bonds for both suspects were listed as to be set as of Wednesday morning.
The Legal Stakes for the Accused
Under Florida Statute § 812.014, grand theft of property valued at $100,000 or more is a first-degree felony carrying a statutory maximum of up to 30 years in prison, a threshold the roughly $500,000 sculpture alone would meet. Separately, Florida Statute § 810.02 classifies burglary of an unoccupied dwelling as a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years, regardless of whether residents were present at the time of the break-in.
Two Lives Built Around Coral Gables
Parra was a U.S. Navy veteran who co-founded Trax USA, a Coral Gables-based aviation maintenance software company he helped lead for nearly three decades, and he served as president of the Bimini Bay Homeowners Association, according to The Real Deal. Hlavaty co-founded MRKT Group, a South Florida real estate development and branded design firm, after previous roles as chief development officer for Benihana and vice president of real estate and construction for Pollo Tropical, per Advocate.com. Hlavaty also served on the Board of Directors of the Coral Gables Museum and fundraised for local nonprofits including ICU Baby and Amigos For Kids.
The couple had been married since 2017, having held their wedding ceremony at the historic Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, officiated by local interfaith minister Rev. Eddie Rodriguez. Their deaths were part of a crash that also claimed Roger Edward Duarte, founder of George Stone Crab and co-founder of My Ceviche, and José Alberto Suárez, president and general manager of Telemundo 31, 49, and Ft. Myers-Naples, according to World Red Eye. Also killed were Michele Sensi-Contugi, director of Ecuador's National Intelligence Center, and his wife, fashion designer Stephany Hollihan.
A City Where Break-Ins Had Been Falling
The burglary comes even as Coral Gables had been reporting a decline in property crime. The department's NIBRS data showed a 14% drop in property crimes in 2025, continuing a multi-year trend in which reported residential burglaries fell from 88 in 2023 to 75 in 2024, according to the Coral Gables Gazette. City police had credited proactive enforcement and resident engagement for the falling break-in rates.
Investigators have not publicly detailed how Garcia and Perdomo allegedly identified the Valencia Avenue home or whether they knew, through the wave of news coverage of the crash, that the residence would be empty. That question remains open as the case moves through the courts.
-4.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)
