South Florida moms turn grief into purpose while waiting for justice in killings

Grief did not end with their sons’ funerals for two South Florida mothers. Years after their teenage sons were killed in separate drive-by shootings, both women are still waiting for answers. Their sons’ cases remain unsolved.

According to data analyzed by CBS News Miami from the FBI and the Broward Sheriff’s Office, hundreds of homicides across Florida have remained unsolved over the past five years.

For Claudine Escarment and Omorose Butler, their pain has become purpose.

On April 22, 2023, 16-year-old Kyandre John Baptiste was shot and killed in Broward County. The Broward Sheriff’s Office believes a vehicle seen in surveillance video is connected to the shooting.

“He was going to the basketball court,” Escarment said. “I don’t want to hear he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was riding a bike, eating a chip.”

Investigators have classified her son as a “true victim,” meaning he is believed to have been caught in violence not intended for him, Escarment said. More than two years later, she said the silence from investigators has been difficult.

“I’m going to call them out, Broward Sheriff’s Office, in two years, I’ve heard nothing,” Escarment said.

The Broward Sheriff’s Office declined an on-camera interview, citing an active and ongoing investigation. The agency says a reward of up to $5,000 remains available for information leading to progress in the case. BSO says it has solved more than 250 homicides over the past five years, but 42 cases remain open, including Kyandre’s.

For Omorose Butler, the memory of July 2, 2018, remains vivid. Her son, Mendell Butler Lebel, had just celebrated his 17th birthday one day earlier when he was shot and killed just feet from his Miramar home.

“I see my son, and Mendell is lying lifeless on the floor, completely unresponsive, and to be honest, I collapsed,” Butler recalled.

The Miramar Police Department has released only a photograph of a suspected vehicle connected to the killing. Frustrated by the lack of answers, the teen’s relatives say they have spent nearly $100,000 of their own money to fund a reward in hopes someone will come forward.

“We’ve had to dissolve 401(k)s and retirement,” Butler said. “But what is a future without your children?”

According to the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer, Miramar police reported 30 homicides in phe last five years, with five of those cases solved. The agency declined multiple requests for interviews but told CBS News Miami the department recently assigned a new detective to Butler Lebel’s case and brought in the Florida attorney general’s Cold Case Squad to help develop new leads.

While both mothers continue pushing for justice, they are also finding ways to carry their sons’ legacies forward. Escarment launched a foundation that is in Kyandre’s honor and provides bicycles to underprivileged children. Butler has focused on education, funding a scholarship in her son’s name for criminal-justice students at Miramar High School.

Still, both women say their mission remains the same: accountability.

“So, all that I ask is that you are held accountable for your actions,” Butler said. “Because my son was innocent. He did not deserve to be murdered at home, where he should’ve been safe.”

Escarment said she believes someone knows what happened to her son.

“Nobody has been caught,” she said. “And I know people know.”

This report was produced by Miami Herald news partner CBS News Miami.