Four members of a Florida family have been found dead after their light aircraft disappeared over waters off the Bahamas while returning home, relatives said.
Mario Lamar, 80, was piloting the Piper PA-34 Seneca when it vanished from radar on Monday. His wife, Lili Lamar, 79, and their grandchildren Sofia Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22, were also aboard.
The family said relatives and civilian volunteers located all four bodies on Tuesday and brought them aboard their own boats. They are now working with the US Coast Guard to return the dead to Florida.
“It is with profound sadness that we confirm all four of our family members have been found deceased,” the family said in a statement.
“The search and recovery mission was conducted alongside family members and civilians who answered our call for help. Our relatives ultimately located our loved ones and had to bring them aboard their own vessels.”
The family added: “We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported us, searched alongside us, and kept our family in their prayers. We respectfully ask for privacy as we mourn this unimaginable loss.”
Plane disappeared on flight from Great Harbour Cay
The aircraft had departed Great Harbour Cay at about 11.12am on Monday and was heading for Miami Executive Airport in Opa-locka, Florida.
Bahamas police said air traffic control lost contact with the US-registered five-seat aircraft, which carried the registration N212ML, about 13 miles west of Andros Island.
Flight-tracking data showed the plane’s speed fluctuating before its altitude fell from around 10,000ft to 3,700ft in three minutes. Its flight path then appeared to loop near Red Bays before disappearing over the sea.
The route also took the aircraft through an area of unsettled weather near the northern end of Andros Island. Poor conditions delayed the start of the search, with choppy seas later making the operation more difficult.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force, local fishermen and the Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association joined the operation. The US Coast Guard provided an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft after Bahamian authorities requested assistance.
Relatives had raised the alarm after Sofia texted the family group chat to say the party was flying home. When messages to her went unanswered, they used FlightAware to track the aircraft and contacted the authorities.
Silvia Larrieu, a niece of Mario and Lili Lamar, said her uncle had more than 40 years’ flying experience and regularly travelled to the Bahamas, where the couple had a second home in Great Harbour Cay.
She had appealed to boat owners and other members of the public to help with the search, saying the family wanted to bring their relatives home.
Sofia had worked as a neonatal physician assistant and received a master’s degree from Florida International University in 2023. Christian had worked as a freelance photographer for the Los Angeles Rams and graduated from Loyola Marymount University this year.
