Human remains are found after Tennessee plane crash that killed 90s 'Tarzan' star Joe Lara, his Christian diet guru wife Gwen and five other members of controversial church
- Local authorities said they found several components of the crashed plane on Sunday
- Cessna C501 slammed into the water in Percy Priest Lake in Smyrna, Tennessee around 11am the previous day
- The plane is registered to Gwen Shamblin Lara and her husband Joe Lara's company JL&GL Productions LP
- Shamblin Lara, who founded Remnant Fellowship Church, is the author of The Weigh Down Diet, a diet based in Christian practices
- In addition to the Laras, the church confirmed the deaths of members Brandon Hannah, David and Jennifer Martin, and Jonathan and Jessica Walters in the crash
- The Federal Aviation Administration said the plane left from the Smyrna Rutherford County Airport
- It crashed shortly after take-off and was reportedly bound for Palm Beach International Airport
- Authorities say a full investigation of the crash could take up to two years
PUBLISHED: 04:43 BST, 31 May 2021 | UPDATED: 04:56 BST, 31 May 2021
Rutherford County Fire and Rescue Captain John Ingle said recovery operations were ongoing at Percy Priest Lake in Smyrna, 25 miles southeast of Nashville, and would continue until dark with plans to continue the next day.
'The debris field is approximately a half of a mile wide,' he reported adding that that National Transportation Safety Board was investigating, and that the entire investigation could take up to two years.
The Cessna C501 left from Smyrna Rutherford County Airport before it slammed into the water at 10:53am on Saturday shortly after take-off, officials said in a news release. The plane was bound for Palm Beach International Airport and it was not immediately clear who was piloting it.
The plane is registered to Lara and her husband Joe - who played Tarzan in the 1989 film Tarzan in Manhattan and short-lived 1990s' TV series Tarzan: The Epic Adventures - through their company JL&GL Productions LP, WTVF reported.
Elizabeth Hannah, Lara's daughter, sent out an internal text to families of the church telling them the plane 'had to go down for a controlled, quick landing,' WTVF reported.
Late on Sunday the church released a statement confirming the deaths of Shamblin and Lara in the crash as well as Hannah's husband Brandon, church leaders David and Jennifer Martin; and Jonathan and Jessica Walters.
'The seven Remnant Fellowship leaders lost May 29, 2021 were some of the finest and most loving people that you would ever come across. During this horrible tragedy, our church would greatly appreciate prayers,' the statement read. 'We want everyone who was affected, especially the children of the passengers, to know that they are very loved and our church will be taking special care of the children’s needs in these coming years.'
Dive crews at Percy Priest Lake in Smyrna, Tennessee on Sunday found human remains and parts of the plane that crashed there the previous morning, killing Christian diet guru Gwen Shamblin, her husband Joe Lara and five other members of the Remnant Fellowship Church
The Remnant Fellowship church confirmed the death of Shamblin, right, as well as her husband in the crash
A Cessna owned by JL&GL PRODUCTIONS LP (pictured) is believed to be the one that crashed
Authorities continued to search the crash site at Percy Priest Lake in Smyrna, Tennessee late into Sunday
Rutherford County Fire & Rescue officials reported that a full investigation into the crash could take up to two years
Emergency responders are pictured at Percy Priest Lake in Smyrna as they search for survivors of the wreck
Shamblin Lara, who founded the church in 1999, is the author of the nationally bestselling book The Weigh Down Diet, a diet based in Christian practices.
Her website describes her as the 'pioneer of faith-based weight loss.'
'Gwen Shamblin Lara was one of the world’s most kind, gentle, and selfless mother and wife, and a loyal, caring, supportive best friend to all,' the church said. 'She lived every day laying down her own life to ensure that others could find a relationship with God.'
The plane, built in 1982, is a fixed-wing plane with two engines and eight seats, according to the website Flight Aware.
Elizabeth Hannah wrote in her plea for prayers to the church's parishioners that: 'My brother and I are asking for immediate prayers right now.'
'We have just gotten word that Gwen and Joe Lara's plane had to go down for a controlled, quick landing,' she wrote.
'More information to come, but be in prayer – and be at peace. GOD IS IN CONTROL, and we will not stop moving forward with WHAT GOD WANTS with this church.'
She added that on behalf of herself and her brother, Michael Shamblin, that they 'love this church and need the prayers of the righteous on this one.
The Federal Aviation Administration told WTVF that the plane left from the Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport just before it wrecked. It was reportedly bound for Palm Beach International Airport
This flight-tracker shows the route the plane took before crashing shortly after taking off from Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport
The Remnant Fellowship Church is pictured in Brentwood, Tennessee
Brentwood-based Christian diet guru Gwen Shamblin Lara and her husband Joe Lara, who were both reportedly on the plane, are pictured. Her daughter, Elizabeth Hannah, right, was not on the plane but Hannah's husband Brandon Hannah was
Pictured: Jonathan Walters and his wife Jessica Walters were also on the flight
Pictured: David Martin and his wife Jennifer Martin were also on the flight
Rescue authorities said the debris field from the crash was about half a mile wide
Lara played the the eponymous Tarzan in Tarzan in Manhattan
Lara also has a grown son named Michael Shamblin - who was also reportedly not on the flight. Michael Shamblin has four children with his wife, Erin, and helps lead worship at the Remnant Fellowship Church.
The Remnant Fellowship told DailyMail.com in a statement that 'authorities have not been unable to communicate with the families of those involved' because no details have been confirmed.
'The Shamblins, Hannahs and Laras appreciate your concern, support and prayers,' the church said in the statement.
'As has been reported by the media, some family members may have been involved in a plane accident this morning.
'The families are awaiting details from the authorities. Because no details have been confirmed, the authorities have been unable to communicate with the families of those involved,' the statement reads.
'The families will share details at the appropriate time.'
According to the church's website, it was founded by Lara in 1999 and it has since grown in membership with more than 150 churches in the United States and Canada, and across several continents.
Lara, an avid blog writer, had published a post to her website on Saturday - before the flight took off - in which she said: 'God does not want us to worry about the food's content.'
The blog post included two verses from the Bible: Mark 7:14-23 and Ephesians 5:3-5.
'So 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. It is the greed in our hearts that leads to overeating and overdrinking,' she wrote.
Rutherford County Fire Rescue dive teams are working to determine the extent of crash site, examining the debris field, and conducting search and rescue operations
Elizabeth Hannah, her daughter, sent out an internal text to families of the church telling them the plane 'had to go down for a controlled, quick landing'
Brandon and Elizabeth Hannah oversee and direct and direct the church's youth group. The couple, married in 2003, has four children together: Grace, Gweneth, Gloria and Charles Grantham, according to their biographies on the church's website.
David and Jennifer Martin, two of the passengers believed to have been on the plane, have been members of the Remnant Fellowship Church since Lara founded it in 1999.
The couple has been married since 1992 and has five children, with the oldest three married and living near them in Brentwood, according to their biography on the church's website. Their role with the church is not immediately clear.
Jonathan and Jessica Walters met as original members of the church in 2000 and were later married at the church in 2002. The couple has three children together and also lives in Brentwood, according to their church biographies.
'Hearing Gwen Shamblin read from the Bible was like hearing and reading it with completely new ears and eyes. She read it out of genuine love for God first, no legalism, and it made all the difference!' Jessica Walters wrote in her biography.
According to his biography, Jonathan Walters helps lead the church's youth group. His wife's role with the church was not immediately clear.
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