Description

A death certificate was issued for James Laval Hurst on this case following investigation into a plane theft and crash in the Bahamas. Mr. Hurst was out on bond having been arrested for shooting another individual. Mr. Hurst's ex-wife paid for his plane fare to the Bahamas. Mr. Hurst and another man were reportedly (by an informant) taken to the airport runway in Marsh Harbor, Abacas, Bahamas where they stole a plane belonging to a man from West Palm Beach. The plane crashed shortly after take-off and was allegedly witnessed by the informant. The informant advised Naples Police Department and the bail bondsman who retrieved the remains from the crash and brought them to Naples where they were examined by the medical examiner and later by a forensic anthropologist. The anthropologist determined the co-mingled remains to be those of two males; one an approximately 50 year old white male and the other a younger individual around 20 years old. The passenger of the plane was believed to be a Colombian national. The Naples Police Department does not accept the presumptive identification and consider Mr. Hurst still at large.