Cuban migrant found dead off Florida Keys identified as 24-year-old woman

3 survivors found near Big Pine Key on Saturday

MONROE COUNTY, Fla. ā€“ The body of a Cuban migrant that was found Monday on Big Munson Island has been identified as that of Patricia De La Pena Perez, 24, of Bejucal, Cuba.

Monroe County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Becky Herrin said Perez was identified from a photo obtained from relatives in the Miami area.

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Herrin said the MCSO has received many calls from people attempting to find out whether their family or friends were on the boat, which is believed to have sunk last week south of the Marquesas Keys.

Coast Guard officials said three men found on an island in the vicinity of Big Pine Key Saturday told authorities that they left Cuba on Sept. 20 with 23 people aboard a rustic vessel, which capsized the next day.

The bodies of two men and a woman were found Saturday, 23 miles southeast of Islamorada, and the body of a man was found near Ramrod Key.

The body of Perez was found Monday by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials.

"We are working with federal authorities on this case. We have identified the woman found on Munson Island, but we are all still working to identify the man found on a Ramrod Key beach and the three bodies recovered from Upper Keys waters," Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said. "We feel great sympathy for those who are missing someone. This event is very difficult for everyone involved."

The Coast Guard suspended its search for the migrants late Tuesday after covering more than 9,200 square miles since Saturday.

Ramsay asks that everyone out on the water keeps an eye out for anything unusual.

"We would like to be able to bring closure to more families, but the fact is that many of those lost in this tragic accident may never be recovered," he said.


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Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.