Crash kills family

Published 9:40 pm Monday, July 11, 2011

A family’s dedication to attending church services left the seven of them dead, their remains burned beyond recognition, in a Saturday evening plane crash.

The Teutenberg family was returning to Destin, Fla. after a family reunion in St. Louis, according to an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Marengo County Coroner Stuart Eatmon said relatives told him the family was flying back Saturday night in order to make it to church Sunday.

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Their plane, which was piloted by Fred Teutenberg, lost one of its two engines, causing Fred to divert to Demopolis. The plane crashed in a wooded area about two miles from the airport, in an area that was accessible only by all-terrain vehicles.

Other passengers were wife Teressa, who was in her mid-30s; daughter Emma, 2; son Peyton, 4; daughter Ellie, 6; son Brendon, 9; and son Will, 10 according to The Demopolis Times. Teressa’s daughter Ashlei Bruewer, 16, was not on board.

The Demopolis Times reported the crash site was initially thought to be in Sumter County, but later determined to be in Marengo County — near the Belmont Community, 10 miles west of Demopolis.

The plane reportedly crashed about 6:30 p.m. Saturday and was discovered at 2:17 a.m. Sunday.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Fred radioed authorities about engine trouble, requesting clearance to land at the nearest airport. Elizabeth Isham Cory, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson, told the newspaper the plane disappeared from radar short of reaching the Demopolis runway.

According to the FAA, the plane was built in 1978 and registered to Advanced Integrated Technology Solutions LLC in Niceville, Fla.

According to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science, the wreckage from the plans is currently undergoing testing, and it is possible they will find an eighth victim — the Teutenberg’s baby.