A South Miami-Dade mother says her dog's barking woke her up to find police outside her home. After noticing the gate and door to her daughter's efficiency were open and getting no answer when she called Stefany, she was told a woman had been found lying in the middle of a nearby road and identified her daughter as the critically injured woman. Stefany Medina, 18, remains in critical condition and connected to a machine as of Wednesday night, with investigators still trying to determine exactly how she ended up there.
A Mother's Middle-of-the-Night Discovery
According to NBC 6 South Florida, Yesenia Medina said she was jolted awake when her dog began barking and she noticed police outside. She then noticed that the gate and door to her daughter's efficiency were open and the lights were on inside. When she called Stefany's phone, she got no answer.
Medina was soon told that a woman had been found lying in the road nearby. She recognized the injured woman as her daughter by the shorts she had given her just the day before, the outlet reported. Medina described her daughter as badly hurt, saying her face is mangled, and said investigators told her they were still unsure whether Stefany had been struck by a vehicle or beaten.
Conflicting Accounts of What Happened
A separate report from Local 10 characterized the incident as a hit-and-run crash under investigation by authorities in Miami-Dade County, which occurred early Saturday morning. That account differs from what Medina said she was told by investigators, who reportedly have not ruled out that her daughter was beaten rather than struck by a car. A 911 call shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday reported a woman in the road and a possible hit-and-run in South Miami-Dade, though the full details tying that call to the investigation were not made public.
With the mechanism behind Stefany's injuries still unresolved, investigators are focused on piecing together how she ended up on the road in the first place. No further details about the circumstances leading up to that night have been released.
Family Pleads for Tips as Teen Fights for Her Life
Medina has publicly asked anyone with information, including home security camera footage, to come forward. Both the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office and Crime Stoppers are accepting information from anyone who may have seen something relevant to the case.
Stefany remains hospitalized and fighting for her life as her family waits for answers about what happened to her. The investigation remains open as detectives work to establish the full sequence of events that left her badly injured on a South Miami-Dade road.
