Live Nation L.A. Executive Identified As Voice In The Rubble Of Surfside Condo Collapse
Miami Dade Fire Rescue is reporting that Live Nation executive Theresa Velasquez was heard in the rubble of the 2021 Surfside Condo Collapse in Miami.
Velasquez was heard calling out after the initial collapse of the Champlain Towers on June 24, 2021. But she could not be reached before succumbing to injuries sustained in the building collapse, according to an 11-page Miami Dade Fire Rescue memo obtained by CBS Miami.
Her body was recovered on July 8.
Her brother, David, told CBS Miami said that he accepts the findings of the investigation into the so-called “voice in the rubble.”
“There is no way to know 100%, but it seems like the logical conclusion,” he told the news outlet.
The memo, written by Deputy Fire Chief Raied Jadallah, originally identified a 14-year-old girl as the voice of the victim. Some rescuers heard the trapped voice tell them she had been in apartment 204, whlle others heard 304, the apartment where Velasquez was staying while visiting her parents.
Related Story
Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Will Stream Exclusively Via Hulu Through 2023
The 12-story Champlain Towers South condo collapse first responders reportedly heard banging on a wall and then a woman pleading to be rescued on the day of the collapse.
“Everybody that was there, that’s what we’re trying to do, get this lady out and comfort her. … She was asking for help and she was pleading to be taken out of there,” a first responder told WPLG at the time.
EARLIER: Miami-Dade County Florida police today identified the body of a 36-year-old Los Angeles executive for major events corporation Live Nation as the latest victim of the Surfside condominum collapse.
Theresa Velasquez came to Miami on June 23 to visit her parents. She arrived the night before the collapse of the Champlain Towers South.
The condominium collapse came at 1:25 AM on June 24. The 12-story beachfront building partially collapsed in one of the deadliest structural collapses in US history. The building was demolished 11 days later.
Velasquez’s parents, Angela Maria, 60, and Julio Cesar Velasquez, 67, lived in Apartment 304 in the complex for nearly a decade.
The couple’s daughter, Theresa — a.k.a. DJ Theresa — began her music industry career as a nightclub DJ in Miami Beach.
She built her career up to touring internationally as a deejay and producer, playing such large events as Super Martxe in Madrid and Circuit Festival in Barcelona, Miami Beach’s White Party and Aqua Girl Miami, New York’s Electric Zoo and Mysteryland USA on the former site of Woodstock in Bethel, N.Y.
She later teamed with Grammy-nominated deejay Hector Fonseca to start a music label, Audio4Play.
A graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., Velasquez obtained a master’s degree in music business studies from New York University. She then worked for Sony Music, SFX Entertainment, and had been an executive with Live Nation Entertainment for the past six years.
Live Nation CEO and president Michael Rapino tweeted that she was “a beloved friend, daughter, sister, and co-worker” soon after the collapse.
The bodies of Theresa and Angela were recovered on Thursday, July 8, while Julio was recovered the next day, according to Miami-Dade Police.
“As of Friday, July 16, 94 victims have been identified and 94 families have been notified. 241 people are accounted for,” said Miami-Dade authorites. “97 missing persons reports were opened with the Miami-Dade Police Department. At this step in the recovery process it has become increasingly difficult to identify victims, and we are relying heavily on the work of the medical examiner’s office and the scientific, technical process of identifying human remains. This work becomes more difficult with the passage of time although our teams are working as hard and as fast as they can.”
Officials have also said that efforts to recover remains from the debris are nearing an end.
Live Nation issued a statement mourning Velasquez:
“Our hearts break for the loss of our beloved Theresa Velasquez, her parents Angela and Julio, and everyone taken far too soon in the tragic accident in Surfside, FL. Theresa was an impassioned leader at Live Nation, who elevated every project she was part of, at the same time breaking down barriers for women, and the LGBTQIA+ community. We will always remember and honor the impact she made, and will miss her dearly.”
Must Read Stories
‘Maverick’ Premiere Draws 5-Minute Standing Ovation; Star Gets Honorary Palme d’Or
WB Discovery & CBS Have Their Day: Colbert, Corden, Zaslav, ‘Yellowstone’ Spinoffs, More
Jamie Foxx Actioner, Julianne Moore-Sandra Oh Pic, ‘Maverick’, Reviews, Deals & More
Elton John Docu ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ Lands At Disney In Mega Deal For Hybrid Release
Read More About:
Source: Read Full Article