Arielle Valdes’ Family Speaks Out After Missing Runner’s Body Found in Florida: 'There Are No Words'

Mar. 15, 2025

Arielle Valdes.Photo:Lee County Sheriff’s Office

Lee County Sheriff’s Office

“The message she would want to say is to be present with your loved ones,” sister Isabella Hergert told NBC affiliateWBBH. “Know what’s important before it’s taken away.”

Arielle’s sister also paid tribute to her sister in aFacebook poston Tuesday, Sept. 3.

“There are no words to express what I’m feeling," Hergert wrote. “I have new eyes for this world and I am so blessed I got to experience you and call you my sister.”

Valdes disappeared on Wednesday, Aug. 28, after leaving her home to go on a run at the 90th block of Mariana Avenue in North Fort Myers around 6:30 p.m. local time, according to theLee County Sheriff’s Office(LCSO).

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Five days after she was reported missing, the LCSO reported thatremains of a woman believed to be Valdeswere found during a search along the Caloosahatchee River in North Fort Myers.

“Preliminarily, there is no evidence to indicate that foul play was involved,” police said on Sept. 2. “Our hearts remain with Arielle’s family and loved ones as they navigate the coming days.”

In the wake of her death, the Facebook group “Finding Arielle Valdes” shared that there will be acandlelit memorial walkscheduled for this Sunday, September 8, in Fort Myers.

Hergert also organized aGoFundMe, which has raised over $8,000 as of Wednesday, Sept. 4.

source: people.com