Body discovered after private plane flying to Miami from Bahamas disappears

One body has been found after a small plane carrying four people disappeared while flying from the Bahamas to Miami, family members said on Tuesday. Bahamas police identified the plane as a PA-34 Piper five-seater aircraft, WPLG reported. Police confirmed that the aircraft left Harbour Cay in the Bahamas on Monday at about 10 a.m. ET and was headed to an executive airport in the Miami suburb of Opa-locka, according to WTVJ. The Miami Herald reported that the plane was piloted by 80-year-old Mario Lamar. The other passengers were his wife, Lili Lamar, 79; and two of their grandchildren -- Sofia Sosa, 28; and her brother, Christian Sosa, 22 -- the newspaper reported and the family confirmed. Family 'begging for help' after body found in private plane crash near Miami https://t.co/gVwcz1I3bj — Miami Herald (@MiamiHerald) September 8, 2026 Family members did not say which body was found, the Herald reported. Officials said the plane vanished near North Andros Island. according to the newspaper. Air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft when it was about 13 miles west of Andros Island, Bahamas police told WLPG. The four had traveled to the Bahamas for the holiday weekend, a trip family spokesperson Sylvia Larrieu said her uncle had made many times during four decades as a pilot, according to the television station. 'He always does this. The weather seemed fine,' Larrieu told WLPG. 'My uncle maintained the plane in pristine condition. He was always on top of it. Anytime he was here in Miami, he would always be at the hangar working on his plane and ensuring it was up-to-date.' Several family members flew to the Bahamas on Monday and began searching via boat themselves, the Herald reported. Poor weather delayed the official search from the U.S. Coast Guard and the Royal Bahamian Defence Force, WTVJ reported. 'A civilian -- one of our own family members -- was the person who located our loved one and had to bring their deceased relative onto their own boat,' the family said in a statement. 'At this time, neither Bahamian authorities nor the U.S. Coast Guard are out there searching the waters.' Larrieu said that four of the family's relatives were all out searching the waters for their loved ones, the Herald reported. 'We are begging for help,' she said. © 2026 Cox Media Group