HOUSTON — A Houston woman wants justice after she found her daughter shot to death in the apartment she shared with her boyfriend, who's now a primary suspect in her murder.
Paola Duran Miranda was only 21 years old when her life was cut short.
Her mother, Delmy Miranda, told KHOU 11 that she went to check on her daughter after Paola told her she was going to Dallas with her boyfriend on Sunday, April 14.
That Monday, Delmy called Paola but she only replied in text messages. She then stopped replying altogether. Delmy went to Paola’s apartment on Tuesday and found her covered in blood with a gunshot wound.
The Harris County Medical Examiner listed Paola’s death as a homicide and considered her primary cause of death a "gunshot wound of the head and neck."
“She was cold and turning purple," Delmy told us in Spanish. "She was covered in blood."
A few days after her death, Paola’s boyfriend, Franklin Acevedo-Chacon, was charged with her murder, according to a criminal complaint. Delmy said her daughter had told her Acevedo-Chacon was the jealous type, but she did not believe he had any reason to hurt Paola.
Family friend Zoly Coronel said she still can’t believe Paola’s gone.
“I think that she was a very generous and lovely person," she said. "I don’t think she would mess with anybody or have bad intentions with anybody."
Court records stated that investigators reviewed security video from the night of April 14 that showed Paola and her boyfriend leaving their apartment and returning hours later, appearing “calm and relaxed.” However, Acevedo-Chacon left the apartment alone minutes later, according to investigators.
Delmy said she now believes it was Acevedo-Chacon who texted her from Paola’s phone the Monday before she went to check on her daughter.
Paola and Acevedo-Chacon's gray 2017 Honda was found abandoned in Dallas, but Acevedo-Chacon is still nowhere to be found.
Delmy said she is devastated about the loss of her only child.
“I love her so much," she said. "I tried to do as much as I could for her and she knows that. She was a really good daughter,” she said.
Anyone with information about Acevedo-Chacon is encouraged to call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers of Houston at (713) 222-8477.
Family and friends have started a GoFundMe fundraiser to cover the cost of funeral expenses.