Megan Hilty is mourning her pregnant sister, brother-in-law and nephew, who died in a plane crash.
“On Sunday afternoon, a small float plane crashed into Puget Sound off the coast of Whidbey Island,” the Smash actress wrote on Instagram. “My beloved sister Lauren [Hilty], brother-in-law Ross [Mickel] and baby nephew Remy were on that plane.”
Megan said making the “news even more devastating” was that Lauren was eight months pregnant with a baby boy they planned to name Luca.
“The last three days have been the worst of our lives,” she said. “There are truly no words to appropriately convey the depth of our grief.”
Megan also used the post to correct misinformation in the news about Remy being a girl. She went on to share that her sister and brother-in-law “left behind my niece who we are all holding in our hearts.”
“Thankfully, she was not on the plane,” she explained, “and we ask that her name and personal information be kept private as she is a minor.”
Megan ended by thanking the public for “the outpouring of love and support,” saying it has “meant so much to everyone in our family. It has been so comforting to know just how loved Lauren, Ross, Remy and Luca truly are.”
The seaplane, carrying 10 people, crashed into the waters of Mutiny Bay off Whidbey Island on Sunday afternoon, according to the Coast Guard. One body was recovered and the others presumed dead amid the investigation. The names of the victims were released on Tuesday.
Ross was a winemaker and the owner of Ross Andrew Wineries. His family released a statement to NBC affiliate King-5 which said, in part, “We are deeply saddened and beyond devastated at the loss of our beloved Ross Mickel, Lauren Hilty, Remy and their unborn baby boy, Luca. Our collective grief is unimaginable. They were a bright and shining light in the lives of everyone who knew them. Although their time with us was too short, we will carry their legacy forward.”
