FAMILY OF FOUR FOUND DEAD AFTER SMALL PLANE VANISHES OVER THE BAHAMAS

What began as a frantic search for four missing family members has ended in heartbreak after their bodies were recovered from waters near the Bahamas.

A Florida family’s desperate search for answers ended in tragedy Tuesday after four relatives aboard a small private plane were found dead following a crash off Andros Island in the Bahamas.

The victims were identified by their family as Mario Lamar Sr., 80, his wife, Lili Lamar, 79, and their grandchildren, Sofi Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22.

Mario, an experienced pilot with more than 40 years of flying experience, was piloting the aircraft when it disappeared during a flight back to South Florida.

The family had been returning home after spending the Labor Day weekend at their second home on Great Harbour Cay in the Bahamas.

Their destination was Miami Executive Airport.

Instead, the plane vanished.

THE FLIGHT THAT NEVER MADE IT HOME

The aircraft was a Piper PA-34 with the tail number N212ML.

According to authorities and the family, it departed Great Harbour Cay on the morning of Sept. 7 and was heading toward South Florida.

Air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft approximately 13 miles west of Andros Island.

Flight-tracking data showed a dramatic loss of altitude shortly before the plane disappeared.

The aircraft reportedly dropped from around 10,000 feet to approximately 3,700 feet in just three minutes.

Authorities believed the aircraft had gone down in the waters near Red Bays in North Andros.

The U.S. Coast Guard joined Bahamian authorities in the search, deploying an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft to assist with the operation.

But poor weather complicated the initial search efforts.

A FAMILY REFUSED TO GIVE UP

As authorities searched the waters, relatives launched their own desperate effort to find their loved ones.

Mario’s niece, Silvi Larrieu, publicly pleaded for anyone with boats or aircraft in the area to help search.

The family had hoped against hope that the four passengers might still be alive.

Larrieu described Mario as a highly experienced pilot who had made the trip many times before.

She said flying between the Bahamas and South Florida was not unusual for him and that he was known for carefully maintaining his aircraft.

“He was very conservative,” she told CBS Miami, describing how Mario would spend time checking his plane and maintaining it.

The family continued searching even as the official operation faced difficult conditions.

THEN CAME THE DEVASTATING DISCOVERY

On Tuesday, the search took a heartbreaking turn.

Family members participating in the search located the bodies of the four passengers.

According to a statement from the family, relatives ultimately found their loved ones and had to bring them aboard their own boats.

The family later confirmed that all four had died.

“We are deeply grateful to everyone who supported us, searched alongside us, and kept our family in their prayers,” the family said in a statement, according to CBS Miami.

The U.S. Coast Guard is working with the family and Bahamian authorities to assist in bringing the victims home.

WHO WERE THE FOUR VICTIMS?

Mario Lamar Sr., 80, was the pilot and patriarch of the family. Relatives described him as an experienced aviator with more than four decades of flying experience.

His wife, Lili Lamar, 79, was traveling with him.

Their grandchildren, Sofi Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22, were also aboard.

The family had spent the holiday weekend together at their home in Great Harbour Cay before beginning the flight back to Florida.

Sofi had recently graduated from Wake Forest University, while Christian had recently graduated from Loyola Marymount University, according to reports.

QUESTIONS STILL REMAIN

The recovery of the four victims has brought an end to the immediate search, but it has not answered the biggest question:

What caused the plane to suddenly lose altitude and crash?

Authorities have not announced a cause.

Investigators will have to determine what happened during the final minutes of the flight, including why the aircraft descended so rapidly before disappearing from contact.

At this stage, there is no confirmed explanation for the crash.

For the Lamar and Sosa families, however, the search is over — but the grief is only beginning.

Four family members left the Bahamas expecting to return home.

They never made it.

What was supposed to be a routine flight back to Florida became a devastating tragedy that has left an entire family mourning the loss of four loved ones.

Four people. One plane. One final journey home. And a family now left searching for answers.