The American pageant community is mourning the heartbreaking loss of Skarlent Rodríguez, the Venezuelan model who was crowned Miss Grand Orlando 2025.
Rodríguez, 23, and her boyfriend, José Castro, were found dead after spending several days missing following the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24.
Family members confirmed the tragic news Monday night after rescue teams carried out an intensive search in Catia La Mar, a coastal city in La Guaira state and one of the areas hit hardest by the disaster.
According to Venezuelan media reports and statements from relatives, Rodríguez and Castro were trapped beneath the rubble when the apartment building where they lived collapsed during the earthquakes.
Search-and-rescue crews spent days digging through the wreckage while their loved ones desperately held out hope that the couple might still be alive.
That hope ended when their bodies were recovered.
“Sadly, they were both found dead… side by side, together until the very end,” their family wrote in an update posted to a GoFundMe campaign created to help cover funeral expenses.
Relatives also thanked everyone who shared information, supported the search and helped bring attention to the couple’s disappearance.
Rodríguez had recently begun gaining recognition in the pageant world after winning the Miss Grand Orlando 2025 title.
Originally from Venezuela, she had been building a modeling career while remaining closely connected to her home country.
Although she did not go on to win the Miss Grand Florida title, Rodríguez had become a familiar and admired figure within the pageant community.
Following confirmation of her death, Miss Grand Florida paid tribute to her on social media, calling Rodríguez “a treasured part of our Grand family.”
Miss Grand International also shared condolences with her relatives and everyone affected by the disaster.
The couple’s families are now facing major funeral and burial expenses after the lengthy search and recovery effort. A GoFundMe campaign was launched to help ease those costs and serve as a memorial to Rodríguez and Castro.
Family members described the couple as inseparable and said they remained together until the very end.
Their deaths are among the many personal tragedies emerging from the June 24 earthquakes, which caused widespread destruction across parts of Venezuela.
La Guaira was among the hardest-hit areas, with apartment buildings, hotels and other structures collapsing and thousands of families displaced.
For those who knew Rodríguez through the pageant world, she will be remembered as a rising young model whose life and future were taken far too soon.