Desperate Search Underway for Florida Grandparents and Two Grandchildren After Plane Vanishes Near Bahamas

Pilot Mario Lamar, 80, his wife Lili Lamar, 79, and two of their grandchildren, 28-year-old Sofia Sosa and 22-year-old Christian Sosa, are missing after their Florida-bound plane suddenly went down near Andros Island.Family Handout

A South Florida family is pleading for help as U.S. and Bahamian authorities search for four relatives whose small plane disappeared over the waters near Andros Island while they were returning home from a Labor Day weekend in the Bahamas.

Pilot Mario Lamar, 80, his wife Lili Lamar, 79, and their grandchildren Sofia Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22, were aboard the Piper PA-34 when air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft Monday, Sept. 7.

The family had been traveling from Great Harbour Cay back to South Florida after spending the holiday weekend at a home that relatives described as a longtime family retreat.

“They’ve spent their whole life going there. That’s like their second home,” Mario and Lili’s niece Silvia Larrieu said. “They were coming home.”

Plane disappeared west of Andros Island

Sofia Sosa was one of four people aboard a plane that went missing after departing Great Harbor Cay in the Bahamas.Family Handout

According to the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the five-seat Piper PA-34 departed Great Harbour Cay on Monday morning with four people aboard.

Authorities said air traffic control subsequently lost contact with the aircraft approximately 13 miles west of Andros Island. Bahamian police received a report about the missing aircraft at around 2:20 p.m. and began coordinating efforts to locate it near Red Bays, North Andros.

The aircraft was identified by authorities as tail number N212ML. The U.S. Coast Guard was asked to assist Bahamian authorities and deployed an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft as part of the search.

Poor weather complicated the operation, however. Bahamian authorities said inclement conditions forced search activity to be suspended, although locating the aircraft and its occupants remained a priority.

There has been no confirmed explanation for what caused the aircraft to disappear.

Family realized something was wrong when messages stopped

Christian Sosa.Family Handout

For relatives waiting in Florida, one of the first indications that something had gone wrong came when the family group chat suddenly fell silent.

Sofia had sent a message telling relatives that they were flying home. According to Larrieu, it was the last communication the family received from her.

Flight-tracking information later added to the concern.

FlightAware data cited in reports showed the aircraft’s speed fluctuating before its altitude dropped sharply from about 10,000 feet to approximately 3,700 feet over a period of just three minutes. It subsequently disappeared from radar.

Local reporting also showed the plane apparently making turns near the Bahamian coast before radar contact ended. A storm was passing through the area at the time, although authorities have not determined whether weather contributed to the disappearance.

‘We need to bring them home’

The small private plane was last seen on radar when FlightAware data showed the plane’s speed rapidly fluctuating before it’s altitude suddenly dropped from around 10,000 feet to 3,700 feet in just three minutes.Silvi Larrieu

As search teams mobilized, the family issued an emotional public appeal for anyone in the area who might be able to help.

“Please help,” Larrieu 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.”

In another appeal, she urged people traveling through the area by air or sea to report anything that could assist rescuers in finding the missing family.

“Whether it’s by plane, by boat, any signs that you’ve noticed, to help us find them and bring them back alive,” she said.

The Lamar and Sosa families also expressed gratitude to those participating in the operation and to people who had contacted them with messages of support.

Mario Lamar has more than 40 years of flying experience

Relatives described Mario as an experienced pilot who had been flying for more than four decades.

The Bahamas trip itself was also far from unusual for the family. Great Harbour Cay had been part of their lives for years, and relatives described their property there as effectively a second home.

The four had spent Labor Day weekend together there before beginning what should have been a familiar journey back to Florida.

Sofia and Christian had also recently reached major milestones in their lives.

Sofia was a recent graduate of Wake Forest University, while Christian had recently graduated from Loyola Marymount University.

U.S. Coast Guard joins search effort

The disappearance has prompted cooperation between multiple agencies.

The U.S. Coast Guard said its Southeast District command center coordinated the deployment of an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft after receiving a request for assistance from Bahamian authorities. The Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association was also contacted as part of the response.

As of the latest reports, the four relatives remained missing and authorities had not announced that the aircraft or its occupants had been located.

For their family, the focus remains on bringing home four people who had begun Monday expecting to make an ordinary return journey from a place they had visited throughout their lives.

What was supposed to be the end of a family holiday instead became an urgent search across the waters between the Bahamas and Florida — with relatives now waiting for any sign of Mario, Lili, Sofia and Christian.