Paula & Kevin

Investigators are still putting the pieces together and working to figure out who would set Paula Sladewski on fire and throw her body in a trash dumpster. Cops say Paula’s body was “burned beyond recognition” and firefighters were called to put out the flames.  Was committed out of anger… passion… or just someone trying to destroy evidence?

Lt. Neal Cuevas with the North Miami Police department told me Paula’s boyfriend, Kevin Klym reported her missing at 10:40 p.m. on Sunday, January 3, 2010.  Klym said he hadn’t seen his girlfriend since earlier that morning when he was kicked out of Club Space, a Miami nightclub open all night and all day.  Lt. Cuevas says Klym told them Paula was too drunk, and he wanted to leave, an argument erupted – and he was kicked out.  Investigators confirmed to me that they know for sure Klym left the club in a taxi, and went back to the LaFlora Hotel on Collins Avenue where he and Paula were staying.  There is not video of Paula ever returning to the hotel.  One of the workers at the hotel told me they do not have surveillance video running at all at the hotel.

Around 9 p.m. on January 3^rd, a person called in a dumpster fire in North Miami.  Firefighters responded, extinguished the blaze, and that’s when they found a body.  Lt. Cuevas says around 10:40 p.m. they received a call from Kevin Klym stating his girlfriend was missing.  At that point, Klym not only called them, but he was reaching out to local hospitals, her parents and the local Medical Examiner’s office.  From that point, the Medical Examiner and investigators started to figure out the body may be Paula. The ME’s office reached out to Michigan, where Paula is from, to obtain dental records.  On Tuesday, the ME’s office did confirm the body found was Paula Sladewski.  The dumpster is located about 10 miles away from Club Space in a small warehouse district, primarily a residential district, off the beaten path.

Kevin Klym is a person of interest in this case, but keep in mind readers, that does not mean he is a suspect.  In an investigation, you can be ruled out as a person of interest or upgraded to becoming a suspect.  Investigators told me today the reason is because he was the last person to see his girlfriend alive, meaning he is the last person they have come across who knows the victim.  There are obviously other people at the club who may have seen her leave.  I spoke to Klym’s lawyer Marc Beginin over the weekend, and he says his client and Paula had a volatile relationship, but it would never escalate to something like this.  Since Paula disappeared, Klym hired a private investigator, dug up pictures of his girlfriend, and hit the streets to pass out fliers.  He says his client met with investigators four separate times and is still in corporation with them to help find Paula’s killer.  Beginin says the bouncer told the private investigator that Paula left the club holding hands with a very tall African American male, and they were last seen crossing the street together around 7:20 a.m.  “I think it’s clear Kevin had no involvement in this murder,” Beginin says.  Klym and Paula do have a past domestic violence history in Michigan and California.  Investigators told me Klym was arrested for breaking Paula’s nose in Michigan, and was actually bonded out by her a short time later.  A man named David Coleman has spoken out to say he received text messages that led him to believe that Klym may try to kill Paula.  I asked investigators about these text messages, and they say as of Friday night, they had not seen them.  David Coleman is in fact a past boyfriend of Paula’s, and is currently listed as a registered sex offender in Michigan.  I am getting ready to reach out to investigators today to see if they were able to obtain those messages.  In addition, I’ve learned that Paula’s cell phone was left back at the hotel, and that phone along with other personal belongings are in the possession of investigators right now.  

The pair went to Miami on New Year’s Eve for the Lady GaGa concert, and decided to spend the weekend club hopping.  Paula modeled once for Playboy, and lived between Michigan and California.

Cops want to talk to anyone at the club that night who may have seen Paula or her boyfriend, and specifically anyone who saw Paula leave around 7 a.m., and maybe with a tall African American male.

Please contact the North Miami Police department with any information: (305) 891-8111