Tragedy after kind-hearted mother, 56, climbed mango tree in her garden to pick fruit she liked to share with neighbors

By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-21 21:32:17 | Updated at 2026-08-09 07:58:26 2 weeks ago

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Published: 21:58 BST, 21 July 2026 | Updated: 22:03 BST, 21 July 2026

A Florida city has been left shaken after a beloved mother fell to her death while picking mangoes from a tree in her yard, police said. 

Lucrecia Cardozo, 56, was outside her home in Miramar on Monday afternoon when she 'went beyond the ladder' she was standing on, fell to the ground and died, Janice McIntosh, with the Miramar Police Department, told the Daily Mail. 

A neighbor called 911 after discovering Cardozo on her lawn around 12pm, officials said. 

Cardozo's 16-year-old daughter was inside the home when she suffered the fatal fall, police said, according to NBC 6 News. 

Her ex-husband, George Cardozo, told the outlet their family is in shock and struggling to process her sudden death. 

Ryan Raymond, one of Cardozo's neighbors, told the Daily Mail that she would often share the tropical fruit with his family and that his brother really loved her mangoes. 

Raymond, 23, also said that the freak accident has rocked him personally as he was  picking coconuts from his yard just before he heard about Cardozo's death.

'It just shows it can happen to anyone,' he stated. 

Lucrecia Cardozo, 56, fell to her death from a ladder on Monday afternoon in Miramar, Florida, while she picked mangoes from her tree

Ryan Raymond, one of Cardozo's neighbors, told the Daily Mail that she would sometimes share the tropical fruit with his family and that his brother really loved her mangoes

Footage obtained by the outlet showed a large blue tent erected in the front yard. It covered a white tarp on the ground near the base of the tree that is believed to be sheltering Cardozo's body. 

A clip taken by CBS News showed the ladder still outside the home as Cardozo's distraught family members cried in the street. 

McIntosh urged the public to be cautious when harvesting fruit from trees. 

'Just be careful. There could be power lines, anything, be careful picking mangoes,' she told NBC News. 

A clip taken by CBS News showed the ladder still outside the home (pictured) as Cardozo's distraught family members cried outside the property

'Watch your kids and height of the trees. Our hearts go out to the family, but accidents can happen at any time.' 

The circumstances surrounding her death remain unclear as officials continue investigating, the Miramar Police Department told the Daily Mail. 

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