SURFSIDE, Fla. — Four victims killed in the partial collapse of the Surfside condominium tower have been identified by Miami-Dade police Friday night.
A little over a week after the collapse of Champlain Towers South, the death toll has climbed to 24 people and more than 120 are still unaccounted for.
The four identified victims are: Bonnie Epstein, 56; Claudio Bonnefoy, 85; Maricoy Obias-Bonnefoy, 69; and a 7-year-old whose name was withheld at the family’s request, police said. The police incorrectly referred to Maricoy as Maria.
The father of the little girl worked as a firefighter with the City of Miami Fire Department, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez confirmed to the Herald on Friday. When her remains were recovered, more than 200 rescuers on the scene saluted her in an emotional scene, sources told the Herald.
All but Epstein were recovered on Friday. Epstein’s body was found on Wednesday.
Obias-Bonnefoy was born in the Philippines and moved in the 1970s to the Washington, D.C., area. That’s where she met her husband, Claudio Bonnefoy, who was a native of Chile and second uncle of former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
They bought their condo in Champlain Towers South 15 years ago after moving from Washington, where she had worked at the International Monetary Fund and where Bonnefoy had worked at satellite services provider Intelsat.
She and her husband were planning to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.
Bonnie Epstein and her husband, David, 58, lived in unit 901 with their dog, Chase. They were snowbirds from the Northeast.
Their only son, Jonathan Epstein, posted a loving tribute to them on Facebook: “... my parents were amazing people and would be touched by the outpouring of love and support we’ve received.”
The 17 victims who had already been identified are: Magaly Elena Delgado, 80; Lucia Guara, 10; Emma Guara 4; Anaely Rodriguez, 42; Andreas Giannitsopoulos, 21; Hilda Noriega, 92; Marcus Joseph Guara, 52; Frank Kleiman, 55; Michael Altman, 50; Leon Oliwkowicz, 80; Luis Bermúdez, 26; Ana Ortiz, 46, Bermúdez’s mother; Christina Beatriz Elvira, 74; Stacie Fang, 54,; Anthony Lozano, 83; Gladys Lozano, 79, and Manuel LaFont, 54.
