After a month of uncertainty over the sea off Panama, two families finally learned what they had feared and hoped for at once: that Sue Borries and Deb Velleman, two teachers who had been traveling with their husbands, had been recovered and identified. Their disappearance on January 3 became one of those quiet tragedies that ripple outward through classrooms and kitchen tables long after the news cycle moves on. The loss is measured not only in the two lives ended but in the survivors who carry the injuries and the questions, including an uncertainty about how and why the aircraft went down t
Remains of Two Teachers Recovered and Identified Weeks After Panama Plane Crash
Two women, teachers Sue Borries and Deb Velleman, died in the plane crash off Panama; one passenger suffered a spinal injury.
Two families finally have their loved ones back.
Mark
Two women missing since Jan. 3 have now been found. Why does this story matter beyond the news of the recovery?
Mimi
Because of how it unfolded. Two families spent a month not knowing, and the statement they released was about relief and gratitude. It reads like people who finally got an answer.
Luke
Worth saying what we actually know. The bodies were recovered and identified, and that is confirmed. The report doesn't say when or where they were found.
Mark
And the husbands?
Mimi
Anthony Velleman survived with a spinal injury, was treated in Panama City, then in Madison, Wisconsin, and was released Jan. 20. Two other passengers were rescued too.
Luke
Note the source doesn't say who the other two are, or how they are doing. It also doesn't say what caused the crash.
Mark
The families criticized the U.S. government. How far can that carry?
Mimi
They said Washington didn't commit resources to the search. Bruce's Legacy, a search and rescue group, and Panamanian authorities helped them instead.
Luke
That criticism is the families' account. The report doesn't include a response from U.S. officials, so whether support was adequate is still an open question.
Mark
So what's left?
Mimi
The cause of the crash and the question of official support. The recovery answers the hardest question for the families, but not those.
Der Puls
- Two teachers vanished for a month after their plane went down off Panama, leaving families in suspense.
- Recovery came at last, but the bodies arrived with the grief of a loss that could have been prevented or eased by faster help.
- Families publicly faulted the lack of U.S. government search resources and turned to a private rescue group and Panamanian authorities.
- The husband with a spinal injury has been released, while the cause of the crash and the path toward accountability remain open.
After a month of uncertainty over the sea off Panama, two families finally learned what they had feared and hoped for at once: that Sue Borries and Deb Velleman, two teachers who had been traveling with their husbands, had been recovered and identified. Their disappearance on January 3 became one of those quiet tragedies that ripple outward through classrooms and kitchen tables long after the news cycle moves on. The loss is measured not only in the two lives ended but in the survivors who carry the injuries and the questions, including an uncertainty about how and why the aircraft went down that remains unresolved.
On a Tuesday morning, two families received news they had been waiting on for a month: the bodies of Sue Borries and Deb Velleman had been recovered in Panama and identified. The two women had been missing since their plane went down off the Panamanian coast on January 3.
Borries, 57, of Illinois, and Velleman, 70, were both teachers, traveling with their husbands when the aircraft crashed. The reporting does not say where the group was headed or what caused the plane to go down.
Not everyone aboard was lost. Anthony Velleman and two other passengers were rescued. He suffered a spinal injury, received emergency care in Panama City, was later transported to Madison, Wisconsin, and was released on January 20.
The families' joint statement expressed relief and gratitude. Their weeks of waiting had also been marked by frustration, as they said the U.S. government had not committed resources to the search. Help came from the search and rescue group Bruce's Legacy and from Panamanian authorities, and the families thanked them.
The account leaves the circumstances of the recovery, the cause of the crash, and the condition of the other survivors open. What is clear is the outcome: two teachers died, one survivor spent weeks recovering, and two families have their loved ones back, while their criticism of official support may draw further attention.
On Tuesday morning, two families received word they had been waiting on for a month: the bodies of Sue Borries and Deb Velleman had been recovered in Panama and identified. The two women had been missing since a plane went down off the Panamanian coast on Jan. 3.
Borries, 57, of Illinois, and Velleman, 70, were both teachers. They were traveling with their husbands when the aircraft crashed. The source does not say where the group was headed or what caused the plane to go down.
Not everyone aboard was lost. One of the husbands, Anthony Velleman, and two other passengers were rescued shortly after the crash. Velleman had a spinal injury and needed emergency treatment in Panama City. He was later transported to Madison, Wisconsin, for further care and was released on Jan. 20.
The families issued a joint statement Tuesday. They said they welcomed the news from Panama with a tremendous sense of relief and gratitude, and they named both women, Sue Borries and Deb Velleman, as having been recovered.
The weeks between the crash and Tuesday's announcement were marked by frustration. The families had said publicly that the U.S. government did not commit resources to help with the search and rescue effort. Help came instead from a search and rescue group called Bruce's Legacy and from Panamanian authorities, and the families thanked them.
The account is brief and leaves several things open: the circumstances of the recovery, the cause of the crash, and the condition of the other two rescued passengers. What the reporting does establish is the outcome. Two teachers died, a third survivor spent weeks recovering from a spinal injury, and two families now have their loved ones back. The families' criticism of the lack of U.S. government support for the search may draw further attention.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The families welcomed with a tremendous sense of relief and gratitude the news that Sue Borries and Deb Velleman had been recovered.— Joint statement from the families, Tuesday
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