Updated: September 8, 2026, 2:30 p.m. EDT — This story has been updated after the family confirmed that all four people aboard the plane were found dead.
ANDROS ISLAND, Bahamas — All four members of a South Florida family whose small plane disappeared near the Bahamas have been found dead, bringing a devastating end to a search that began after the aircraft vanished while returning to Miami.
The victims were identified by their family as Mario Lamar Sr., 80; his wife, Lili Lamar, 79; and their grandchildren, Sofia “Sofi” Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22.
The family confirmed Tuesday that all four had been found deceased after relatives joined the search in waters near Andros Island. Family members searching by boat ultimately located their loved ones and recovered their bodies.
The development came hours after relatives initially announced that one body had been found and pleaded for additional help locating the other three family members.
BREAKING: Body of 1 of 4 Florida family members found after plane that took off from Bahamas disappeared, niece confirms pic.twitter.com/5e4hOxFCsa
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 8, 2026
The post above was published earlier in the search, when only one body had been located. The family later confirmed that all four people aboard the aircraft had been found dead.
In a statement reported by the Associated Press, relatives said they had launched their own search effort and recovered the bodies from the water.
The family said relatives ultimately located their loved ones and had to bring them aboard their own vessels. They were then working with the U.S. Coast Guard to bring their loved ones home.
The family had spent the long Labor Day weekend at Great Harbour Cay, where Mario Lamar had a second home, and was returning to South Florida when contact with the aircraft was lost.
What happened to the Florida family’s plane?
The aircraft was identified as a Piper PA-34, a twin-engine plane bearing tail number N212ML. Mario Lamar, an experienced pilot, was flying the aircraft.
The plane departed Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands and was headed for Miami Executive Airport in Miami-Dade County when it disappeared.
According to Bahamian police, air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft when it was approximately 13 miles west of Andros Island.
A statement from the family said the aircraft took off at approximately 10:12 a.m. Monday and its last recorded contact occurred at around 11:04 a.m. near the western side of Andros Island.
There have been differences in the departure times cited in initial reports. Bahamian authorities earlier gave a later departure time, while the family’s statement said the plane left Great Harbour Cay at approximately 10:12 a.m.
Authorities received a report later Monday of an aircraft believed to have gone down in waters near Red Bays, North Andros.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Bahamian authorities requested assistance following a report of a downed aircraft with four people aboard off the coast of Andros Island.
Flight-tracking information cited by media outlets showed the aircraft undergoing significant changes in altitude before contact was lost.
The plane reportedly descended from approximately 10,000 feet to around 3,700 feet within several minutes before disappearing from tracking.
Relatives said flight-tracking information also appeared to show the aircraft near the edge of a storm before its flight path changed.
However, investigators have not announced an official cause for the crash. It remains unclear what happened aboard the aircraft before contact was lost.
Relatives joined search and recovered all four victims
The U.S. Coast Guard joined Bahamian authorities in the response after receiving a request for assistance from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.
An HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft was deployed to assist with the search, but poor weather initially complicated the operation.
With their relatives still missing, members of the Lamar and Sosa families also headed onto the water to search for them.
The first tragic breakthrough came Tuesday when a family member searching by boat located one of the victims in the water. At that stage, relatives publicly appealed to fishermen, boaters, pilots and others in the area to help search for the remaining three people.
Later Tuesday, the family confirmed that all four relatives had been found dead.
According to the family’s statement, their own relatives ultimately located the victims and brought them aboard their vessels. The family said it was communicating with the U.S. Coast Guard about bringing their loved ones home.
The ABC News report on the incident also said the bodies of all four Miami family members were recovered Tuesday.
Mario Lamar’s niece, Silvia Larrieu, described her uncle as a lifelong and highly experienced pilot. The family said he had more than 40 years of flying experience and routinely flew between Florida and the Bahamas.
Relatives also said Lamar was cautious and kept his aircraft well maintained.
The family’s concerns began after Sofia had messaged her parents before the flight and relatives later realized messages were no longer being delivered. They knew when the plane was expected to arrive in Florida and contacted authorities when they could no longer reach those aboard.
The deaths of Mario and Lili Lamar and their two grandchildren have turned what began as an urgent search-and-rescue operation into an investigation into what caused the aircraft to go down.
The incident comes amid heightened attention on aviation incidents affecting South Florida. In a separate and unrelated case, investigators have also been examining an Amazon cargo plane crash near Miami airport.
Authorities have not announced an official cause of the Bahamas crash. Investigators are expected to examine available flight data, weather conditions, communications and other evidence as they work to establish what happened during the final portion of the flight.
The family thanked those who assisted during the search and asked for privacy as relatives mourn Mario, Lili, Sofi and Christian.
This is a developing story. This report will be updated if authorities release new information about the investigation or the cause of the crash.
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