The bodies of two people, including a child, were found in the wreckage of a chartered Piper Cherokee plane in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday, authorities said.
Venice police confirmed the discovery of the wreckage at 2 p.m. From Gulf Air, one-third of a mile directly west of the airport south of Tampa.
The plane was found hours after the Federal Aviation Administration called Venice police to check the Venice airport for an overdue plane that left St. Petersburg late Saturday night and did not arrive.
During the FAA investigation Sunday, recreational boaters reported finding a dead woman floating in the bay about 2.5 miles west of Venice Beach, according to a police department news release.
Searchers from multiple agencies began searching the plane and any debris for possible occupants. After the plane was found, Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office divers found the deceased teenager in the passenger area of the plane, a police statement said.
Officials believe a male pilot or passenger may have been on the plane during the flight, but he was not found in the wreckage as of Sunday afternoon.
The missing Piper Cherokee was found just after 2 pm on Sunday.
Search efforts for the missing male occupant were scheduled to continue until sundown Sunday and resume Monday as conditions permit.
The investigation is still active and Venice police have not released information about the occupants, family notifications, and clearance from other involved agencies, including the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Search and crash scene assistance continues from the Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Sarasota Police Department, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the District 12 Medical Examiner’s Office.