BAHAMAS.– A desperate search for four members of a South Florida family ended in tr4gedy after relatives confirmed that Mario Lamar Sr., 80; his wife, Lili Lamar, 79; and their grandchildren, Sofi Sosa, 28, and Christian Sosa, 22, were all found d3ad following the cr4sh of their private plane near Andros Island in the Bahamas.
The family was returning to South Florida on Monday, September 7, 2026, after spending the Labor Day weekend at their second home in Great Harbour Cay. Mario was piloting the U.S.-registered Piper PA-34, tail number N212ML, with Lili, Sofi and Christian aboard.
According to the family, the aircraft departed Great Harbour Cay at approximately 10:12 a.m. bound for Miami Executive Airport. Its last recorded contact occurred around 11:04 a.m. near the western side of Andros Island. Bahamian authorities said air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft roughly 13 miles west of Andros.
Authorities received a report of a possible downed aircraft in the waters near Red Bays, North Andros. Bad weather initially complicated the search, and the U.S. Coast Guard deployed an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft to assist Bahamian authorities.
The search took an especially painful turn Tuesday when members of the family joined the effort using private boats. Relatives ultimately located all four of their loved ones and had to bring them aboard their own vessels, according to a statement released by the family.
Sofi Sosa was the first family member recovered by relatives. Hours later, the family confirmed that Mario, Lili and Christian had also been located, bringing the search to its devastating conclusion.
Mario Lamar was described by relatives as an experienced pilot with more than 40 years of flying experience. His niece, Silvia Larrieu, said he was extremely cautious and kept his aircraft in excellent condition. Mario was also a licensed Florida attorney who had been admitted to the Florida Bar in 1973.
Sofi, 28, worked as a neonatal physician assistant in Coral Gables and was a graduate of Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart. Her younger brother, Christian Sosa, 22, was a photographer and a graduate of Loyola Marymount University’s M-School in Los Angeles. He had recently written about fulfilling a childhood dream by working as a freelance photographer for the Los Angeles Rams.
The family had deep ties to Great Harbour Cay and had traveled there for years. Relatives described the Bahamas property as a second home, making the flight back to Miami a familiar journey for Mario and his family.
As of the latest information reviewed, authorities have not announced an official cause of the cr4sh. The investigation must determine what happened to the Piper PA-34 before it disappeared near Andros Island, and there is currently no verified evidence establishing mechanical failure, pilot error or weather as the definitive cause.
The Lamar-Sosa family thanked the people who assisted with the search and everyone who kept Mario Lamar Sr., Lili Lamar, Sofi Sosa and Christian Sosa in their thoughts and prayers. They have now requested privacy as they grieve the devastating l0ss of four loved ones at once.
What began as an urgent effort to bring a missing family home has now become a heartbreaking farewell to Mario, Lili, Sofi and Christian, whose l1ves ended during what had been a familiar flight home from the Bahamas.
