Four bodies have been recovered from the wreckage of a small plane that crashed in the Everglades on Sunday night.
Authorities have not identified the bodies, but they are believed to be the remains of the Barber family, of Fort Lauderdale.
The plane belongs to Bruce Barber, a money manager and University of Florida alum. Barber's wife, Karen, and son, Payton, along with family friend Phillip Marsh were likely on board the plane when it went down in the Everglades.
The Barbers and Marsh had been in Gainesville over the weekend attending the Florida-Tennessee game on Saturday, a 23-14 Gators win. Four people were spotted boarding the plane, though officials have yet to confirm how many people were on board.
Pine Crest Middle School, which was attended by Payton Barber, seemed to confirm the worst with a statement it released late Monday.
"Our entire School community is saddened by this news, and our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to Chloe and her entire family," said Head of School Dale Smith. "The Barbers embodied the true essence of a Pine Crest family. Words cannot express how much they will be missed."
The Barbers' youngest child, Chloe, who was a fourth grader at Pine Crest, did not make the family trip and stayed behind with a family friend in South Florida. Payton was an 8th grader who played football and was in the band at the private school.
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Family friends said they have not heard from the group since Saturday, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
"Based on the [plane's] registration, who else would it be?" Gainesville innkeeper Joe Montalto toold the Sun-Sentinel. "We'd love to believe they are safe. But if they were safe, we'd have heard about it already."
The plane, a Piper PA-32, had left Gainesville and was heading to Fort Lauderdale. The plane is registered to Barber, who lives in Sea Ranch Lakes.
A spokeswoman with the FAA said the pilot had radioed that he was having problems with the plane, which is registered to Bull Gator Air Inc., in Sea Ranch Lakes, Fla.
Barber, 46, a successful money manager with Brookstreet Securities in Fort Lauderdale, met his wife while an undergrad at UF. A huge Gators fan, Barber was a Bull Gator member of the Gator Booster Club, a prestigious club that requires at least a $14,000 per year donation to the school's athletic program.
Barber had earned his pilot's license and bought the plane so that he could make it up to Gainesville for every home game. He even had the plane painted with Gator orange and blue trim.
Yesterday, Marsh's sister tearfully remembered her brother.
"Live your life with passion and don't ever forget to tell those people around you how much you love them, and he did that, he did that every day," Michelle Marsh said. "Don't waste a moment, life is precious."
Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue had spent the past couple days searching for survivors in the swampland by airboat.
