The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has been searching for a light blue center console boat since the operator struck and killed the waterskier around 4:40 p.m. near the Nixon Beach Sandbar.
Sources identified the victim to Local 10 News as Ella Adler.
“We are searching for a vessel that we are told is a center console, light blue, possible blue bottom paint with two or possibly up to four outboard engines,” said Officer George Reynaud, a spokesman for FWC.
Police officers and fire rescue personnel also responded to the Bill Baggs Cape State Park and assisted with the search. FWC asked anyone with information about the case to call 888-404-3922.
“This is a very tragic situation,” Reynaud said.
According to an online obituary, Ella was a student at Ransom Everglades High School and is the granddaughter of Michael Adler, the U.S. ambassador to Belgium.
A public post memorializing the young girl says in part, “In her 15 years on this Earth, she dazzled us with her light. She emanated love and joy. She was beautiful.”
Local 10 News Assignment Desk Editor Mercedes Cevallos contributed to this report.
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Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.
Trent Kelly is an award-winning multimedia journalist who joined the Local 10 News team in June 2018. Trent is no stranger to Florida. Born in Tampa, he attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, where he graduated with honors from the UF College of Journalism and Communications.
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