On the morning of June 7, 2024, a devastating event unfolded outside a Chase Bank in southwest Miami-Dade, Florida. A woman and her four-year-old son were fatally shot in an apparent murder-suicide. The assailant subsequently ended his own life.
The crime occurred at around 7:30 a.m. at the bank’s drive-thru at the intersection of Bird Road and 152nd Avenue. Miami-Dade Police Detective Luis Sierra reported that an on-duty sergeant in the vicinity responded swiftly after hearing the gunshots and arrived at the scene.
Sierra relayed that a woman, driving a minivan and accompanied by her young son, pulled up to the bank’s ATM. Shortly thereafter, a man in an SUV approached and opened fire, resulting in the tragic deaths of the woman and her son before the man took his own life.
The victims were identified as 43-year-old Odalys Bancroft and her son, Theodore Couto, who was nearing his fifth birthday. The perpetrator, Michael Andres Pineda Lozano, 41, Bancroft’s former boyfriend, was found deceased at the scene.
This shocking incident has left the community reeling. Bancroft’s brother, Michael Trujillo, shared his disbelief, stating, “Never in a million years would I expect anything like this to happen.” He added, “I can’t fathom any circumstances that would lead a normal person to commit such an act against a woman and her child. They were in the process of breaking up, but I never noticed any indications of fear that something like this could happen.”
Bancroft held the position of director of regulatory affairs at Jackson Health System, where she had been employed since 2015. She started her career as a clinical staff nurse and later assumed leadership roles at Holtz Children’s Hospital. Jackson Health System CEO and President Carlos A. Migoya expressed, “Odalys was profoundly committed to our mission and was always proud to represent Jackson. Her contributions have left a lasting impact, making Jackson a better place.”
Her son, Theodore, affectionately known as Teddy, had recently finished Pre-K-4. “Everywhere that he was, it was always just a happier place with him around,” Trujillo reflected.
Crime scene footage showed a silver BMW SUV parked adjacent to a dark-colored minivan at the bank’s ATM, both vehicles cordoned off by yellow police tape. The sight of the child’s car seat inside the minivan underscored the horrific nature of the incident.
Distraught family members spoke with police outside the bank. Teddy’s father was present at the scene, visibly shaken, with police trying to provide comfort.
