MILTON, Ga. β A middle school athlete from Milton, along with his parents, grandfather and brother, were killed in a New York plane crash over the weekend, the Milton football community shared on social media pages Monday.
The Georgia family was in Cooperstown, New York, for a baseball tournament, according to state troopers. On Sunday afternoon, police were called to a report of a possible plane crash in the area of Lake Cecil Road in the town of Masonville.
A Piper Malibu Mirage was found after a multi-agency search of the area, but none of the passengers survived, according to a release. The plane had departed from Alfred S. Nader Regional Airport in Oneonta, New York and was traveling to West Virginia to refuel before heading back to Georgia.
The family members who died were 76-year-old Roger Beggs, 43-year-old Laura Van Epps, 42-year-old Ryan Van Epps, 12-year-old James Ryan Van Epps and 10-year-old Harrison Van Epps.
Mike Monasterio, a close family friend, said he had spoken to Ryan days before the crash.
"I said, 'Brother, I will see you on the port. I will go take you and your family to the airport and get you there safe.' Suddenly, what I heard is something like, something like this, and you lose half of your heart in your body," Monasterio said.
He became close friends with the family after meeting Ryan 12 years ago. He said he felt Ryan and his family were like his own family, willing to help anyone at any time.
"We don't want to bury our kids. We want our kids to bury us first. But something happened like this, and it's really sad," Monasterio said after dropping off flowers and balloons on the family's front steps of their home.
Since news of this tragic crash was released, people have taken to social media to share memories of who this family was and to send their condolences to their loved ones.
The Milton Eagles Football Team was one of those posts. The team said that James Ryan was a feeder-rising 7th-grade football player.
One of James Ryan's former football teammates, Wynn Dyer, described him as a happy but tough kid.
"He was a really nice kid. He loved his brother. Him and his brother were best friends. I'm just devastated," the 12-year-old said.
James and his family also have ties to King's Ridge Christian School in Alpharetta. Chase Crawford, who coached at the school, expressed how fortunate he felt to have been around the family -- even for a short while.
The Van Epps family even has connections to the Ninth Inning Baseball program in metro Atlanta. The organization extended its condolences to the family on Facebook on Monday evening.
Family member Ansley Van Epps told 11Alive they are still processing the tragedy but are thankful for the community support they have been receiving.
"We're still processing the tragic loss of our family as well as the Beggs, and we are all devastated, to say the least. We are heavily grieving and heartbroken," she said. "Just know that we are grateful for the outpouring of love that we have been surrounded with as we navigate this difficult time."
The family also said in a statement that as they grapple with the loss, they are coming together to celebrate the beautiful lives they lived.
"Their kindness, laughter and love will forever be etched in our hearts," the statement reads. "Please keep their loved ones and our family in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time. May we find strength and solace in the memories and the outpouring of love from all who knew them."
