‘No words can describe it’: Vigil held for Miami Gardens dog mauling victim
A pair of sisters kneeled in a patch of grass together Tuesday evening, pulling out weeds and carefully arranging candles on the ground. A week earlier, the two women stood in the same spot, crying and holding each other in disbelief.
Just feet away, their mother, 71-year-old Doreen Richards Broadbelt, was found dead on Labor Day due to a dog attack in a field next to a Miami Gardens elementary school. On Tuesday, family members stood over the sisters, Lateisha Wilkinson, 36, and Shelley Ann Williams, 50, to shield them from the rain with umbrellas as they tended to the makeshift memorial of flowers and teddy bears honoring their mother.
Dozens of family, friends and coworkers gathered for a vigil outside of Broadbelt’s Miami Gardens home to celebrate her life and comfort each other with food and prayer. The crowd walked from her home to the area blocks away where police say she was killed by dogs as she walked to work at the nearby Walmart. Mourners, many of whom were visibly upset and wearing Walmart uniforms, placed electric candles at the memorial.
Broadbelt’s death shocked the community and reignited a countywide conversation about the dual problem of unleashed dogs and overcrowded animal shelters. Her loved ones say they hope her death will lead to a positive change.
“Let there be justice that will ensue from this situation, that it may not happen to someone else,” said Pastor Omar Williams of Miami Gardens church Pentecostal Tabernacle as he led a prayer at the vigil. “Let common sense laws and rules be passed, but also allow for a new sense of integrity to rise within the hearts of those who own pets and animals. [...] I pray that you will let good come forth from this that is tangible. That the family can have a certain sense of peace, that lady Doreen’s death was not in vain.”
“Amen,” the crowd said.
When asked about the kind of person Broadbelt was, family and coworkers repeated the same word, “Loving.”
“I am actually astounded at the number of people who are here,” said Sandra Richards-Hunwick, Broadbelt’s sister. “But of course, it is testament to her benevolence and the kind of person my sister is. She is a vivacious person, very sociable. She knows everybody, she talks to everybody. I cannot overstate how kind she is.”
Originally from Saint Catherine, Jamaica, Broadbelt came to the United States in 2012, her sister said. She woke up bright and early to walk to Walmart, where she worked for 13 years. She had four children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Her family is raising money to cover funeral expenses for a service on Sept. 27.
The vigil was certainly a celebration of Broadbelt’s life and her contributions to the community. Gospel music played on speakers, family members served chicken soup, strangers hugged each other, friends left carrying several plates stuffed with leftover food.
“When you show compassion, it comes back to you,” said Donovan Broadbelt, her husband. “[The vigil] is a reflection that she is a caring person and a people person.”
Calls for accountability and change
Broadbelt’s family said she enjoyed the exercise of walking to work, but she often complained of unleashed dogs bothering her.
She was not alone in her fear of dogs roaming the streets late at night and early in the morning. Several neighbors told the Herald that unleashed dogs have been a constant issue for years. Some walk around carrying bats and sticks to protect themselves.
Miami Gardens Police released images of dogs in the neighborhood suspected to have been involved in the attack. Police swabbed dogs for DNA samples and the investigation is ongoing. Owners of some of the dogs have been cited by Miami-Dade Animal Services before.
Even more concerning, Richards-Hunwick said, is the fact that the attack occurred next to Norwood Elementary. School was not in session the day of the dog attack because of the holiday.
“Can you imagine if it were not my sister and it was one of the children at the school?” Richards-Hunwick said. “I am thinking that maybe her life was sacrificed because of that, because of what might have happened later on.”
The lack of answers and accountability is outrageous, said Adjua Broadbelt, her niece.
“Those were not stray dogs. Now we’re grieving, we lost a family member, and somebody is quite relaxed,” she said, referring to the dogs’ owner or owners. “That’s not fair. You can’t find the owner and you can’t find the dog because they don’t want to take accountability.”
Oddale Wilkinson, Broadbelt’s 38-year-old son, said he wants to see state lawmakers step in.
“What actions are they going to take knowing that these things are constantly happening across this state?” he said. “Something has to be done.”
A generous woman and ‘work mom’
Richards-Hunwick finds peace in remembering how her sister lived, not how she died. Broadbelt was 14 years older than her, making her more of a mother figure than a sister.
“Everything that she has, she would always make sure to give us some,” Richards-Hunwick said.
Broadbelt was incredibly hardworking and generous, her family said. Perhaps she worked so hard to continue to be generous.
Every September and December, Broadbelt would stuff barrels with care packages, gifts and school supplies to send back to Jamaica. Oddale Wilkinson said he recently got a call from someone who said that his mother was paying for seven kids in Jamaica to go to school.
A woman of faith, Broadbelt was a very kind but strict mother who pushed her children to always do the right thing, Oddale said. “She would go above and beyond for me,” he said.
She was a talented farmer, too, Richards-Hunwick said. She grew Jamaican fruits and vegetables on a small plot of a little farm her friend owns in Lantana. She’d often gift her sister produce that she would share with her co-workers.
“It’s not just only family, she’s kind to everybody,” her son said.
Her kindness extended to her coworkers at Walmart. Neil Manausa, the store manager, said Broadbelt was a “wonderful spirit” to be around. Every morning, she insisted that he gave her a hug. She knew something was wrong if he didn’t, he said.
“Just a great associate and an even better person,” Manausa said. “All the associates are really, really heartbroken. It makes you realize how fragile life is.”
Processing Broadbelt’s death has been difficult, said co-worker Mark Robinson. Their shifts in the apparel section of the store would overlap, and he often saw her humming gospel songs to herself. Usually, when Broadbelt’s daughters came into the store asking where their mother was, he knew exactly where to point them to. But on Labor Day, when they came asking for her, he realized he hadn’t seen her all day.
“My body’s here, but my mind is on the other side of town,” Robinson said. “I just remember her presence, being a pleasant person, willing and ready to help with other associates and customers. Bending over backwards and forwards to do what she had to do to make things work.”
Janiah Stephens, 22, attended the vigil with her mother Wylisa Haskins. Stephens has worked at Walmart for five years, where Broadbelt was her “work mom.” Broadbelt would encourage Stephens to “keep pushing forward” with her nursing school education.
Stephens teared up recalling how Broadbelt used to greet her everyday with a kiss on the cheek: “Hi, my baby!”
“It’s hard. No words can describe it,” she said. “You’re used to seeing a face every morning, and then that face is not there anymore.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2025 at 5:22 AM.