Search For Missing Plane, 3 People Called Off

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The search for three people and a plane that went missing on the way to Cedar Key on Sunday will end at sunset on Tuesday. The U.S. Coast Guard announced the suspension of its search late Tuesday afternoon.

"It is with a heavy heart and our deepest condolences that we make the decision to suspend the search this evening," said Capt. Holly Najarian,Sector St. Petersburg commander. "We keep the family and friends of these three individuals in our thoughts and prayers as they go through this difficult time."

The search for Jasper Jerrels, 65, his fiancée Hue Singletary, 60, and Jarrels’ 17-year-old son began Sunday evening. The three took off from Brooksville Sunday morning in a single-engine plane bound for Cedar Key. When the white plane with red and blue stripes didn't arrive at Cedar Key by noon, officials began to become concerned.

Watch standers from Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg were notified about the missing single-engine plane around 5:21 p.m. Sunday. That notification led to deployment of an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Clearwater and a search-and-rescue boat from Station Yankeetown.

“The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center reported the last known radar contact from the aircraft, which occurred at 11:06 a.m. when the plane was approximately seven miles south of Cedar Key,” the guard wrote in a media release. The pilot did not file a fight plan, the guard noted.

On Monday at 9:06 a.m., a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission marine unit found an aircraft seat matching the description of the missing plane’s interior. A short time later, a small debris field was found. Just before 9 a.m. Tuesday, a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew located the body of a person about 6 miles southwest of Cedar Key near the debris field. The body was recovered, but has not yet been positively identified as belonging to one of the three people on board the plane.

The Coast Guard and partner agencies had conducted more than 30 searches, covering more than 2,016 nautical square miles as of noon on Tuesday.

"We want to thank all of our local and state partners for providing professional support throughout our search efforts," said Najarian.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard