A holiday weekend that began with family, sunsets and time at a beloved Bahamas home has ended in a desperate search for four members of a Florida family.
Mario Lamar, 80, his wife, Lili Lamar, 79, and their grandchildren Sofia Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22, are missing after the small plane carrying them from Great Harbour Cay toward South Florida disappeared over the waters near Andros Island on Monday, September 7.
Bahamian authorities received a report at about 2:20 p.m. that a five-seat PA-34 Piper aircraft had apparently gone down approximately 13 miles west of Andros Island. The plane had been traveling toward Opa-locka, Florida, after departing Great Harbour Cay earlier that day.
The U.S. Coast Guard and Bahamian authorities have since joined the search for the aircraft and its four occupants. An HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft was deployed to assist with the operation, but poor weather has complicated the effort.
A Family’s Desperate Plea
For the Lamar and Sosa families, the disappearance came just as the four were making their way home from a place that had been part of their lives for decades.
Mario and Lili had spent the Labor Day weekend at their home on Great Harbour Cay with their grandchildren. Their niece, Silvia Larrieu, described the island as a second home for the family.
“They’ve spent their whole life going there. That’s like their second home,” Larrieu told the Miami Herald. “They were coming home.”
The family’s concern grew when the plane failed to arrive as expected. According to relatives, Sofia had sent a message before the flight indicating that they were heading home, but the family never received confirmation that they had safely landed.
Larrieu has since made an emotional public appeal for assistance.
“Please help,” she 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.”
The Plane’s Final Moments
Flight data cited in reports showed concerning changes before contact with the aircraft was lost. The plane’s speed fluctuated rapidly, while its altitude fell from roughly 10,000 feet to 3,700 feet over a period of three minutes.
Authorities said air traffic control ultimately lost contact with the aircraft approximately 13 miles west of Andros Island. The last known position was over waters west of North Andros.
Bad weather in the area made the search even more difficult. Bahamian officials said efforts to locate the aircraft were postponed because of the conditions, while the U.S. Coast Guard confirmed it was working with local authorities.
The family has asked Bahamian officials, the Coast Guard and other authorities to use every available resource to locate the plane and the people aboard.
An Experienced Pilot and Two Recent Graduates
Mario Lamar was piloting the aircraft. According to his family, he had more than 40 years of flying experience.
His wife, Lili, was traveling with him, along with their grandchildren Sofia and Christian.
Sofia is a recent graduate of Wake Forest University, while Christian recently graduated from Loyola Marymount University, according to reports.
The family has emphasized their gratitude to the crews and authorities involved in the search, while continuing to hope that Mario, Lili, Sofia and Christian can be found.
As the search continues, their loved ones remain focused on one urgent goal: bringing the four family members home.