MYSTERY IN THE AIR: FAMILY OF FOUR VANISHES WITH THEIR PLANE — THEN RELATIVES MAKE A HEARTBREAKING DISCOVERY

What began as a desperate search for a missing family ended in tragedy.

Four members of a Florida family — an 80-year-old pilot, his wife and their two grandchildren — have been found dead after their small plane disappeared over waters near the Bahamas.

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

THE FLIGHT HOME

Mario Lamar was piloting a Piper PA-34 aircraft registered as N212ML after the family spent the Labor Day weekend at their vacation home on Great Harbour Cay.

The aircraft departed Great Harbour Cay on September 7, bound for South Florida.

Mario was described by relatives as an experienced pilot with more than 40 years of flying experience. The family said he regularly flew the route and had kept the aircraft well maintained.

But somewhere over the waters near Andros Island, contact with the aircraft was lost.

The plane was approximately 13 miles west of Andros Island when authorities lost communication with it.

THEN THE PLANE DISAPPEARED

Flight-tracking data showed a dramatic change in the aircraft’s flight path.

According to reports, the plane descended from roughly 10,000 feet to about 3,700 feet in only three minutes before disappearing from radar.

The aircraft was also reported to have encountered difficult weather conditions in the area.

Bad weather complicated the initial search, leaving relatives desperately waiting for news.

Family members pleaded publicly for anyone in the area with boats or other resources to help locate the missing aircraft.

“We need to bring them home,” relatives said during their desperate appeal for assistance.

THE FAMILY JOINED THE SEARCH

As official search efforts continued, members of the Lamar and Sosa families also traveled to the area and began searching by boat.

Then came the devastating discovery.

Family members ultimately located the victims and had to bring their loved ones aboard their own vessels, according to a statement released by the family. The U.S. Coast Guard later assisted with the recovery operation.

The family said the discovery was especially devastating because one of their own relatives was the person who located a loved one.

FOUR LIVES LOST

Mario Lamar had spent decades flying and was remembered by relatives as a highly experienced pilot.

His wife, Lili, had traveled with him to the Bahamas for years.

Their grandchildren were also building lives of their own.

Sofi Sosa, 28, had recently graduated from Wake Forest University and was reportedly working as a physician assistant.

Christian Sosa, 22, had graduated from Loyola Marymount University and had worked as a freelance photographer, including work connected to the Los Angeles Rams.

A family weekend that began as a holiday getaway ended with four generations of memories suddenly reduced to photographs and unanswered questions.

WHAT CAUSED THE CRASH?

The cause of the crash has not yet been established.

The Bahamas Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority is investigating the incident.

Investigators will need to determine what happened during the aircraft’s final minutes, including whether the weather, a mechanical problem, pilot-related factors or another issue contributed to the crash.

For the family, however, the immediate search is over.

The four people they spent days desperately trying to find have been brought home.

Now comes the painful task of mourning — and waiting for investigators to determine why their flight home ended in tragedy.