Officials have identified the four people whose bodies were found floating in the Atlantic Ocean off Hollywood Beach in August.
Family members helped identify the bodies as Guillermo Enrique Buitrago Milanes, 45, Jose Ramon Acosta, 35, Alberto Gonzales Mesa, 25, and Junier Fernandez Hernandez, 32, the U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday.
The Broward County Medical Examiner's office used DNA to identify the bodies, which were discovered floating in the water about 20 nautical miles off Hollywood Beach the morning of Aug. 24.
Officials said the victims were from Cuba and were trying to make it to the U.S. on a raft. Five people who were also on the raft remain unaccounted for.
Mesa's aunt said when he told her he was headed to Miami on a raft, she told him not to make the trip.
"He wanted to come live here, tried coming by sea several times before, but was always intercepted," said Ydania Mesa. "And this time he lost his life."
She said when she heard the news that four bodies had been discovered floating in the ocean, her worst fears were realized.
"I was so worried and anxious," she said. "I almost lost my head, watching TV. I didn't move from my TV."
Dora Guerra said she was in a panic when she found out Buitrago, who was married to her stepdaughter, was on the raft.
"Imagine, I couldn't believe it," Guerra said. "It was a real shock to me."
Because most of the victims' family members live in Cuba, the few relatives that live in Miami had to identify the deceased.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of the deceased," said Capt. Mark Fedor, chief of response for the Coast Guard 7th District. "While the investigation has concluded, we will continue to work with our federal, state and local partner agencies to send a clear message to anyone contemplating this dangerous and deadly voyage to reach the U.S. illegally: Don’t do it. Don’t risk your life, or the lives of those you love. Don't become the next soul lost at sea. While our primary concern is safety, we will also prosecute smugglers to the fullest extent possible."
Tuesday marked the end of the fiscal year for the Coast Guard, which estimates that 3,722 Cubans, 5,478 Haitians and 601 Dominicans have attempted to try to cross the sea this year, a five-year high.
The 2013 fiscal year numbers were 2,129 Cubans, 4,358 Haitians and 420 Dominicans, the Coast Guard said.
