An 80-year-old pilot, his wife and two grandchildren have disappeared while flying from the Bahamas to South Florida, leaving their relatives desperately appealing for help as search teams work to locate the missing aircraft.
Mario Lamar, 80, was flying a six-seat Piper PA-34 Seneca with his wife, Lili Lamar, 79, and their grandchildren Sofia Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22, when the aircraft vanished during its journey toward Miami on Monday morning.
The family had spent the Labor Day weekend at Mario and Lili’s home on Great Harbour Cay before setting off for their return trip to Miami.
Final Message Came Shortly After Takeoff
The four relatives departed Great Harbour Cay airport at approximately 10:13am.
Shortly afterward, Sofia sent a message to the family’s group chat telling them they were on their way home.
It would be the last communication anyone received from the 28-year-old.
As the hours passed without further contact, relatives became increasingly alarmed.
Messages sent to Sofia’s phone went unanswered, prompting the family to begin tracking the aircraft’s flight information.
Plane’s Flight Data Raises Alarm
FlightAware data showed that the Piper PA-34 Seneca was last detected on radar shortly before 11am.
The aircraft had been flying at roughly 10,000 feet before its altitude dropped dramatically to about 3,700 feet within approximately three minutes.
Its recorded speed also fluctuated sharply during the final portion of the flight.
The tracking data indicated that the plane made a circular movement before disappearing from radar over waters near Red Bays.
Its partial flight path toward Miami Executive Airport also suggested that it had encountered rough weather near the northern end of Andros Island.
Contact Was Lost West of Andros Island
Air Traffic Control said it lost communication with the aircraft when it was around 13 miles west of Andros Island.
That area has since become a key focus of the search for the four missing passengers.
Difficult weather conditions initially prevented Bahamian forces from launching a search operation, adding to the family’s anguish as they waited for authorities to begin looking for their loved ones.
Relatives Join Desperate Search Effort
As concerns mounted, Mario and Lili’s son made plans to travel to the island, where he intended to obtain a boat and assist with the search himself.
The family’s niece, Silvia Larrieu, also made an emotional public appeal for assistance.
“Please help,” Larrieu said in a video statement.
“I ask anybody out there, if you can help with search and rescue efforts, we would greatly appreciate it.”
“We need to bring them home,” she added.
Larrieu described Mario as an experienced pilot who had been flying for around four decades.
She said he regularly maintained his aircraft in “pristine” condition and ensured it was equipped with the necessary safety equipment.
She also said Great Harbour Cay had long been a special place for the elderly couple.
“They’ve spent their whole life going there. That’s like their second home,” she said.
Coast Guard Joins Bahamian Search
The Lamar and Sosa families have called on Bahamian authorities, the US Coast Guard and other relevant agencies to coordinate their efforts and use every available resource to find the aircraft and its occupants.
“The Lamar and Sosa families are deeply grateful to everyone participating in the search and to those who have reached out with support,” the family said in a statement to ABC News.
The US Coast Guard has since confirmed that it is assisting the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. An HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft was deployed to support the search operation.
However, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force said at around 5pm EDT on Monday that the search had so far “yielded negative results.”
Relatives Plead for Prayers
While search crews continued looking for signs of the aircraft, relatives turned to social media to ask for prayers.
Raul E Rivero, a relative of the family, expressed his concern for Ralph Sosa, the father of Sofia and Christian.
“This is difficult news to process being away,” Rivero wrote.
“God, please help the rescuers find them safely.”
The search remains focused on the waters west of Andros Island as authorities work to determine what happened during the aircraft’s final moments.
