Autopsies were conducted Monday as forensic officials continued working to identify the three victims of Thursday’s crash of a light plane.
Police have not yet provided the names of the three victims pending formal identification, Public Information Officer Melody Rames said Monday afternoon. Officials know who was believed to be on the plane that crashed shortly after taking off from Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix at approximately 1:30 p.m. Thursday. Police and a Red Cross representative met with the families of the three white males who were believed to have died.
But until the bodies are positively identified, there will be no official announcement of names, Rames said, adding that she was told to expect the announcement shortly.
The bodies were badly burned in the fire that erupted in the impact and cannot be visually identified, she said. The three families have been asked to provide dental records to aid in identification, and that work was ongoing Monday.
There also is no official word from the Federal Aviation Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board on the cause of the crash.
Witnesses saw the plane struggling immediately after takeoff and called emergency rescue services, which were on the scene within minutes of the crash. And witnesses near the scene where the plane came down said it was making a shrieking noise as if undergoing a severe mechanical problem. But until the FAA and NTSB weigh in, there will be no announcement of the cause of the crash, Rames said.
