2 killed, 1 missing after plane crashes in Gulf of Mexico

Two people are dead, including a child, and at least one person is missing after a plane crashed in the Gulf of Mexico over the weekend, according to police in Venice, Florida.

A search Sunday morning after the Venice Municipal Airport received an inquiry by the Federal Aviation Administration about a Piper Cherokee that had failed to return to its origin airport in St. Petersburg, about 60 miles north of Venice, the Venice Police Department said.

At around the same time Sunday, recreational boaters located a deceased female floating in the Gulf, approximately 2.5 miles west of Venice Beach, police said in a statement Sunday night.

Hours later, the wreckage of the missing Piper Cherokee was found about 1 3 of a mile west of the Venice Municipal Airport, police said.

It was in the passenger area where divers from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office found the body of a dead child, police said.

A male pilot or passenger was also believed to be in the plane during the flight, police said. They said he had yet to be found.

The police did not share the identity of the missing person, or of the female and child found dead.

This is a very active search and investigation, the Venice Police Department said.

While they had information on the man believed to be missing, they wouldn't release that information until their family members could be notified and clearance from other agencies, including the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.

They said search efforts would continue until sunset and resume as conditions allow.