A woman who left her native Costa Rica for the United States in search of what many people call “the American Dream” will be memorialized this weekend in Florida. Milena Solano Chiri was 38 years old when she was slain in Daytona Beach, a coastal community of Florida. Prosecutors have charged Ms. Solano’s ex-husband Johan Chiri with first-degree murder.

According to Kevin Connolly, staff writer at the Orlando Sentinel newspaper, the body of Ms. Solano was found by her daughters in early April. Police officers who responded to an emergency call arrived to find a bloody crime scene in which Ms. Solano’s throat had been violently lacerated.

Law enforcement officers arrested Ms. Solano’s husband later that day as he attempted to jump off a bridge. Police reports indicate that they had responded to domestic violence situations involving the decedent and her alleged killer more than 40 times in the past. The girls left motherless by this terrible crime are aged 10 and 13.

According to a news report filed by Lyda Longa of the Daytona Beach News-Journal:

The family of Milena Chiri could not afford to give her a funeral service, much less take her body back to her home country of Costa Rica.

But now Chiri’s mother, Josefa Solano, brought to Daytona Beach from Costa Rica with the help of a friend who raised money for her airfare.

Furthermore, the memorial service and cremation was paid for by the Office of Attorney General Victim Compensation Program, which is funded by taxpayer’s funds contributed by the good people of the Sunshine State.

A Facebook Timeline has been set up to help the working-class family of the dearly departed. Those who were close to Ms. Solano are asking for donations to be made for the benefit of her precious daughters.

Following is a short obituary posted to the Milena Solano Chiri Memorial on Facebook; it has been slightly edited:

Milena was a beautiful mother, friend, and relative and who came to the U.S. with the hope of improving her life and be of help to her LOVING family in Costa Rica. On April 7 she was murdered in Daytona Beach and departed this world while leaving behind the MOST important people in her life, her two daughters. These two daughters ages 10 & 13 have been left without their beloved mother. A memorial fund at www.GoFundMe.com/MilenaMemorial has been created in memory of their mother and to ensure the daughters future needs are met when each girl reaches the Age of 18.

This memorial fund is being initiated by Steve Sneed @ GoodwillAmbassadorsTravel – Promoting Goodwill Worldwide. We have established the funding goal to reflect the average cost of 4 years of college for both daughters. “The More Than We Can Say Milena Memorial” is scheduled for Saturday May 2, starting at 7:00 PM; it will be held at Andy Romano Beachfront Park 839 S Atlantic Ave, Ormond Beach, FL 32176. Please honor Milena and show your support for her two daughters and family by attending and sharing this memorial. Help in any regard is greatly appreciated. Follow the Facebook Page @

http://GoodwillAmbassadorsTravel.com/

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