LAKE WALES (FOX 13) -
The sixth family member of a plane crash in Polk County
has been found. The body of 13-year-old Boston Bramlage was found about a half
mile away from the scene of the crash, where the rest of his family was found.
"Friday afternoon, at 2:20pm, we located the missing
young man," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "He was not in the
plane when the plane hit the ground, he was thrown from the aircraft while it
was coming to the ground. We've had several different witnesses tell us it was
flat and it was rotating."
Investigators say it appears the right wing of the plane somehow separated when
the plane was at about 25,000 feet. The Sheriff said Boston Bramlage was
catapulted from the plane before it disappeared from radar and crashed.
"The pilot of another aircraft heard the pilot of this
aircraft announce a mayday, gave his call sign, but was not specific about the
nature of the emergency," said Tim Monville, a Senior Air Safety
Investigator with the NTSB.
The NTSB said about six feet of the right wing is still
missing.
More than a hundred men and women searched as if it had been
their own child, according to Judd. Florida Fish and Wildlife Deputies found
the teen almost a mile away from the wreckage.
"It breaks out heart to see an event like this
occur," said Judd. "It's just a tragic event, of monumental proportions,
but we're pleased that we were at least reuniting them the entire family
now."
The debris field spans four miles.
"It's pretty rough terrain, the only real way to access
it is by swamp buggy, or ATV," said Joe Brooks, who is an investigator
with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Helicopters located pieces of the wreckage, then search
crews in the air, on foot, on horseback and on ATV's combed the area in a
massive grid.
Back home in Junction
City, Kansas, the town is devastated. Friends gathered at
the front gate to the Bramlage family's home,
to light candles, lean on each other and remember.
"I'll miss them a lot," said a young woman.
"I'll always remember the smiles we had and the laughs we shared."
"I'm being selfish because I lost a best friend,"
said another man. "But there's four
of them and they had so many friends and people that cared about them."
Family members just arrived in town in Lake Wales,
so they can positively identify the bodies. They have also told authorities, while
they appreciate all the support, they don't want to talk with anyone in the
media.
The Sheriff's Office said anyone who finds a piece of the
wreckage should not touch it. They should call them immediately.
The NTSB estimates the investigation could take up to a year
to complete.
