Uber Eats driver dismembered by MS-13 member mourned by family

The devastated relatives of the Florida Uber Eats driver who was slain by an MS-13 gang member last week remembered him as the “most perfect man” and “such a happy guy” who was working hard to support his family’s dreams of living by the ocean.

Randall “Randy” Cooke’s stepdaughter Melany Dzoba remembered the retiree in an interview with news station WFTS on Tuesday as “the most perfect man” and partner to her mother.

“[He was] such a happy guy. I mean, we all go through our ups and downs. We’re all still human, but he just — he was always just so happy and just trying to have fun and laugh — all the time,” she told the outlet.

Pasco County police said Cooke, 59, was “yanked” into the Holiday home of parolee Oscar Solis while completing his last food delivery on the night of April 19.

Cooke’s dismembered remains were subsequently discovered in trash bags that Solis, 30, and another individual removed from the residence, Sheriff Chris Nocco said.

Cooke’s blood and his wedding ring were also found in the home.

Melany said Cooke met her mother in 2012, and the “perfect” couple tied the knot in 2020.


Randall Cooke.
Randall Cooke was killed in Florida last week.
Facebook / Randall Cooke

“[It was] a relationship I could always hope for,” she explained.

“Just conjoined at the hip. Soulmates until the very end.”

Melany added that Cooke was also a loving and supportive stepfather.


Melany Dzoba with her stepdad, Randall Cooke and mother Kathy.
Melany Dzoba (center) remembered Cooke as a loving husband and stepdad.
Facebook / Kathy Cooke

“I still have a voicemail on my phone from last Monday of just his voice and him telling me how much he loves me and how much he’s there for me,” she said.

Cooke’s other stepdaughter, Brittany Dzoba, told Fox 35 that Cooke moved to Paso from Seminole County last year to be closer to the ocean.

A graphic designer by trade, the proud patriarch ran Uber Eats deliveries to support his family’s dream of living near the coast.


Oscar Solis.
Oscar Solis has been charged with Cooke’s murder.
AP

“I love my mom to death and I hate to see her like this,” she said tearfully.

“Just knowing that she has to come home every day to her husband not there. They shared so many amazing memories together.”

Police are still trying to establish a motive for Solis, who has been charged with murder.


The exterior of the home where Cooke was last seen.
Cooke’s blood and his wedding ring were found in Solis’ home.

The strip club security guard moved to Florida in January, when he was paroled after serving four years in an Indiana prison for assault and burglary.

Solis was affiliated with the MS-13 gang in Indiana, authorities said, and has a lengthy rap sheet that also includes resisting arrest and a charge for stabbing a fellow inmate in prison.

“You’re talking about a violent individual that Indiana released and sent down to Florida,” Nocco said at the press conference.


Randall Cooke.
Cooke worked for Uber Eats to help support his family’s dream of living near the ocean.
Facebook / Kathy Cooke

“Unfortunately, now we have a hardworking guy, a loving husband, who is no longer with us because this violent individual killed him,” he added of the “demonic” crime.

Cooke’s loved ones are similarly baffled by the seemingly random killing.

“There’s no way someone in their right mind did something like this. I mean, it doesn’t make sense. The minor details aren’t adding up,” Melany insisted.


Randall Cooke and his wife.
Cooke married his wife, Kathy, in 2020.
Facebook / Kathy Cooke

Exterior of Solis' house.
Cooke was completing his last delivery order when he was killed.

“What is the motive? What is he trying to get out of it? For fun for him for a couple of hours? That’s not fun, you took somebody’s life away,” Brittany said.

A GoFundMe set up to help Cooke’s family deal with expenses raised almost $18,000 in just two days as the community rallies in the face of the tragedy.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.