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Old News Stories
Plane crash kills 4 people in Murray County

Posted: Jul 01, 2017 5:35 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 08, 2017 11:43 PM EDT

By WRCB Staff

MURRAY COUNTY, GA (WRCB) -

UPDATE: The two children killed in a plane crash in Murray County, Georgia were laid to rest on Saturday.

Services for 10-year-olds Austin Day and Kinsley Wilson were held at a funeral home in Corinth, Mississippi.

Family members told Channel 3 a memorial service for the two adults killed in the crash, Dexter Gresham, and his wife, MJ Yarbrough, will be next Saturday at 2 p.m. in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

UPDATE: Murray County Sheriff Gary Langford confirms the second engine from a deadly plane crash over the weekend has been found.

The engine was found about 100 yards north of the crash site off Piney Hill Road in a wooded area with rough terrain.

READ MORE | FAA documents show pilot in plane crash was overdue for medical exam

Sheriff Langford says it was found around 12:30 p.m. after the NTSB sent a flight map to the Sheriff's Office that helped deputies find the engine.

The NTSB has been notified and is in the process of getting the engine.

The crash killed four people on July 1.

READ MORE | Friends remember couple who died in plane crash

If anyone finds debris they believe is from the crash in their yard, they are asked not to touch it and to immediately call the Murray County Sheriff's Office at (706)-695-4593.

Stay with WRCBtv.com for updates to this story.

PREVIOUS UPDATE: The Murray County coroner's office has released the name of the four people who died in a plane crash Saturday evening as:

Dexter Lee Gresham 55 years old, of Etowah, TN.

Mary Jo Yarbrough 61 years old, of Etowah, TN.

Two children aboard the aircraft were brother and sister Austin Day, 10 and Kinsley Wilson, also 10. The two children were Yarbrough's grandchildren and were from Corinth, MS.

PREVIOUS STORY: NTSB and FAA officials are continuing their investigation into a deadly plane crash in Murray County.

Sunday, officials looked at debris that was scattered around homes and in fields.

"It was so loud and it didn't sound like a normal plane," said Jessica Smith, who says she witnessed the crash, "It did sound like something was wrong." It was that loud sound that prompted Smith to walk out her front door, and when she did she saw something she'll never forget.

"It went BOOM! And literally, stuff flew everywhere!" Smith recalled looking at the sky.

Investigators said a twin-engine Piper PA 23 "broke up" mid-air.

The plane seats 5 people. Four people died in the crash, their identities are not being released right now. Investigators say there could be another person.

Clothes, pieces of the plane, and debris were scattered across the area of Piney Hills Drive and neighboring streets.

One engine from the plane is still missing.

"The owner of the plane, his flight log, was in the backyard," said Smith.

NTSB investigators said they will use that flight log to learn more about the pilot and maintenance history of the plane.

As Smith discovered items around her home she said she's overwhelmed with sadness.

NTSB officials said the investigation will continue for a few days.

If anyone finds debris they believe is from the crash in their yard, they are asked NOT to touch it and to immediately call the Murray County Sheriff's Office.

PREVIOUS STORY: NTSB and FAA officials are investigating a deadly plane crash in Murray County, Georgia.

Murray County Sheriff Gary Langford said four people died in the crash that happened on Piney Hills Road at 4:44 p.m.

Langford told Channel 3 it was a twin engine Piper PA-23 that went down.

Officials said the victims are from Tennessee. Right now, it's unclear which airport the plane was coming from and where the four people were heading to on Saturday.

At the time of the crash, Langford said the conditions included heavy rain, strong wind, and lightning.

"Most of the people are telling us that the plane did come apart in mid-air and from what we've found at the scene, that's evidently what had happened," Sheriff Gary Langford of the Murray County Sheriff's Office said.

He said the wings and engine were separated from the plane. The cockpit was the only part of the plane still intact.

Langford said this is the second crash he's responded to in his time as sheriff. He said the debris from the crash spans a five mile radius.

"We've got a debris field. We've got some from south of this area where we're at now. We've got some from the east of it. Some from the north of it. The debris area is pretty big," Sheriff Langford said.

Right now, investigators are not releasing the identities of the victims.

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