The two stowaways discovered dead in the wheel well of a JetBlue plane at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport earlier this month have been identified as teenagers from the Dominican Republic, according to authorities.
Relatives of the deceased, identified as Jeik Anilus Lusi and 16-year-old Elvis Borquez Castillo, confirmed their identities through photographs and DNA testing, NBC 6 South Florida reported. The tragic discovery was made on January 6 during a routine post-flight inspection. Investigators determined that both teens died from asphyxiation due to a lack of oxygen while concealed in the aircraft’s landing gear compartment.
Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) detectives recently traveled to the Dominican Republic to work with local investigators and the teens’ families. One relative, Nelson René, stated that his 17-year-old family member, Jey Anilu, had been missing since January 3. Some in the community suspected that Anilu and two others had planned to escape the country. Authorities, however, have not officially linked Anilu to the case.
Two weeks ago, the family members of teenagers who went missing in the Dominican Republic expressed concerns that the teens may be connected to the tragedy. Through a translator, Nelson René shared with US media NBC that his 17-year-old relative, Jey Anilu, has been missing from his home since January 3, and they fear he could be one of the individuals involved in the incident.
Nelson René explained that some members of the community suspect that Anilu, along with two other teenagers, may have planned to escape the country. “Somebody here — they will go to travel… maybe in a plane or boat, and they try to escape from the Dominican Republic,” René said. A Dominican media outlet reported that the relatives of one of the other teenagers have been in contact with investigators and are awaiting DNA results. The whereabouts of the third teenager remain unknown.
The mothers of Lusi and Castillo, Margarita Luisi Elisma and Ironelis Castillo, initially identified their sons through photographs before providing DNA samples to investigators. Ironelis Castillo told reporters that she last heard from her son on January 4, when he was driven to a nearby airport before leaving the Dominican Republic.
JetBlue confirmed that before the bodies were found, the plane had made stops in Jamaica, Salt Lake City, New York, and finally Fort Lauderdale. Freezing temperatures and low oxygen levels in the JetBlue plane’s wheel well likely contributed to the teens’ deaths.
Authorities are still investigating how they managed to breach security and access the aircraft’s confined space.
