No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveMissing Children’s Bodies Found Near Crash Site

Missing Children’s Bodies Found Near Crash Site

CONCLUDING an eight-day searchon land and over water, Red Cross officialsfound the bodies of two childrenwho died in a plane crash off the Pacificcoast July 16. Exhausted and operatingon a dwindling budget, searchers lastweek temporarily stopped the searchafter retrieving the bodies of four of thesix victims (TT, July 22), but were bolsteredby a donation from victims’ relativeswho rented a helicopter for thesearch last weekend.On Sunday, the bodies of U.S. citizensConnor Kells, 9, and Jack Ruetz, 8, werefound in the water near the site of thecrash, between two small islands, the RedCross reported.The single-engine plane, a PilatusPorter PC-6, capable of landing on landor on water, took off from the TamarindoAirport in the northern Pacific provinceof Guanacaste and crashed into the ocean1.5 miles from shore. Authorities have yetto rule on the cause of the accident, butspeculate it was brought about by amechanical failure.An average of 15 trained Red Crossvolunteers searched daily for the missingchildren after divers with privatecompanies and fishermen pulled the firstbodies from the wreckage of the plane,more than 100 feet below water.The other four victims, also U.S. citizens,were the plane’s owner, GregGund, 32; Cindy Ruetz, 42, mother ofJack and Justin, 9, who also died in thecrash; and Paul Kells, 53, Connor’sfather. The Ruetz family lives in PlayaFlamingo, Gund lived in Playa Negra,and the Kells family was visiting fromCalifornia.

Trending Now

Costa Rica Hosts Haiti in Crucial World Cup Qualifier Match

Costa Rica hosts Haiti tomorrow at 8 p.m. at the National Stadium in San José for the second matchday of the Concacaf final round...

Celebrating Costa Rica Independence Day Through the Eyes of an Expat

Independence Day is almost here! If you live near a school, a soccer field, a parking lot, or a barrio with a lot of...

Costa Rica’s Banana Exports Fall 20% Due to Heavy Rains and Disease

Costa Rica's banana sector took a hard hit in the first half of 2025, with exports dropping 20.7 percent compared to the same period...

Costa Rica’s OIJ Captures Suspects in Roberto Samcam Murder

The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) carried out multiple raids on Friday morning to capture suspects in the murder of Roberto Samcam, a former Nicaraguan...

Nicaragua Releases Prison Photos of Detained Doctor Amid US Demands

The government of Nicaragua published this Friday photographs in prison of a doctor with Costa Rican and Nicaraguan nationality, two days after the United...

FIFA Probes El Salvador Over Fan Racism in Suriname World Cup Qualifier

FIFA launched a disciplinary case against El Salvador's football federation after fans directed racist insults at Suriname players during a recent Concacaf 2026 World...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica