DOOMED FLIGHT
CHRISTIAN diet guru Gwen Shamblin Lara is among seven passengers "presumed dead" after the Christian weight loss guru's private jet crashed into a Tennessee lake, reports say.
Officials released the names of all seven people they believe were aboard the small plane when the plane crashed into the water in Smyrna on Saturday morning.
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"All indications are that a total of seven people were on board," a release from Rutherford County officials said. All are presumed dead, the statement said.
Human remains and wreckage from the aircraft were found by dive teams on Sunday, police confirmed.
“The debris field is approximately a half of a mile wide,” said Rutherford County Fire Captain and Incident Commander John Ingle.
Crews are flying drones as the recovery effort continues.
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The victims are believed to be Joe Lara, Gwen S. Lara, Jennifer J. Martin, David L. Martin, Jessica Walters, Jonathan Walters, and Brandon Hannah, according to the statement.
Shamblin Lara founded the Remnant Fellowship Church in 1999 and is the author of The Weigh Down Diet.
Tarzan star Joe Lara was also among the deceased.
The actor, 58, was said to have been traveling on the Cessna 501 with his diet guru wife Gwen Shamblin Lara when the plane plunged into the body of water, TMZ reported.
He had reportedly boarded the flight to Palm Beach with Gwen and five others.
The Federal Aviation Administration told WTVF that the plane departed from the Smyrna Rutherford County Airport just before 11am before crashing into Percy Priest Lake.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:
- Authorities said all 7 people aboard the plane are 'presumed dead'
- Human remains and wreckage from the aircraft have been found
- The plane was registered to a company owned by the Laras
- Shamblin Lara's daughter "sent a text to their church members"
- It sid the plane went down "for a controlled, quick landing"
- Authorities released the names of the 7 people onboard
- Crews were continuing recovery efforts through the night
It was reportedly bound for Palm Beach International Airport.
The plane was registered to JL&GL Productions LP, which Shamblin Lara and her husband Joe Lara own together, according to the outlet.
Joe was certified as a pilot in March 2020 but was not licensed to fly the jet, according to the Federal Aviation Administration website.
He reportedly hadn't updated his medical records since 2017. An update is required every two years.
Brandon Hannah, who was reportedly on board, also didn't have a license to fly the Cessna private jet.
Air traffic control data revealed that the airplane started to fall after just 90 seconds in the air.
The reason why the jet went down is not yet known.
Shamblin Lara's daughter, Elizabeth Hannah, reportedly sent out a text message to Remnant church members asking for prayers.
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She said that the plane had to go down "for a controlled, quick landing," according to the outlet.
Hannah also said that the Laras were on the plane with other church leaders: the Martins, the Walters, and her own husband, Brandon.
"More information to come, but be in prayer -- and be at peace," Hannah's message continues.
"GOD IS IN CONTROL, and we will not stop moving forward with WHAT GOD WANTS with this church."
In a statement to The Sun, the Remnant Fellowship Church said the families were still awaiting word from the authorities on Saturday evening.
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"The Shamblins, Hannahs, and Laras appreciate your concern, support and prayers," the statement said. "The families are awaiting details from the authorities.
"The families will share details at the appropriate time."
Rutherford County Fire Rescue confirmed that multiple agencies responded to the crash site around 11am on Saturday.
"Multiple agencies on scene of a small jet that crashed into Percy Priest Lake around 11:00 a.m. FAA & NTSB en route," the squad wrote in a tweet.
"Dive Teams determining extent of the crash site, examining the debris field, & conducting search & rescue. Boaters and private aircraft urged to stay clear of area."
In an update on Saturday night, the rescue squad confirmed that recovery efforts at the lake would continue through the night.
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Shamblin Lara's website describes her as a "pioneer of faith-based weight loss."
She published a post to her blog on Saturday morning, apparently before the plane departed, where she wrote that, "God does not want us to worry about the food's content."
"Jesus taught us that it is not the food that defiles us, but rather the attitudes and thoughts that we have in our hearts and in our minds that will corrupt and destroy us," the blog says.
"It is the greed in our hearts that leads to overeating and overdrinking."
In her last sermon uploaded to YouTube on Friday, she preached about being "born again and becoming immortal".
She said: "As risky and as tedious as the process, being born again where many things could go wrong, note you are conceived in love.
"And love and fear is what grows you. Love and fear is what guides you, grows you.
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"It guides you through the birth canal and finally, it is love and it is fear that births you (sic).
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"You're born again to live forever. To see mortal humans being transformed into a full-grown unworldly man whose spirit life through obedience is mixed with gods (sic)."
Her sermon concluded: "It is my prayer for you to be born again, to stop sinning so that you are born of God and remnant nation. It is worth all you have and all your time and all you are."
Gwen Shamblin Lara reads a psalm during a 'coronavirus misinformation' seminar