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Hundreds turned out to a vigil held at a local elementary school Thursday in memory of the four family members killed on the ground when a plane crashed through a Yorba Linda home Sunday.
Dahlia Marlies Leber Anderson and Roy Lee Anderson are seen in undated photos provided to KTLA.
Dahlia Marlies Leber Anderson, left, and Roy Lee Anderson are seen in undated photos provided to KTLA.
Roy Lee Anderson, 85, and 68-year-old Dahlia Marlies Leber Anderson were at home getting ready to watch the Super Bowl with Stacie Norene Leber, 48, and Donald Paul Elliott, 58, when the aircraft came down, killing all four and engulfing the home in flames. The pilot, identified as 75-year-old Antonio Pastini, was also killed in the crash and two other people were injured on the ground. Many in the neighborhood were still in shock as they gathered at 7:30 p.m. Thursday outside Glenknoll Elementary School. But they said they were finding some comfort through the power of community and prayer. In addition to mourning the lives lost, those at the candlelight vigil said they were also praying for recovery of two family members who made it out of the burning home alive. “Everybody bonds together and everybody just wants to make it so they matter,” family friend Delynn Gruver said through tears. “So they didn’t just die in vain.”
Stacie Norene Leber, left, and Donald Paul Elliott are seen in undated photos provided to KTLA.
Stacie Norene Leber, left, and Donald Paul Elliott are seen in undated photos provided to KTLA.
Relatives released a statement Wednesday. “Our family bond is tight and each member lost in this tragedy represents more than just one role within our family,” the statement read in part. “We lost parents, grandparents, great-parents, spouses, sisters, brothers, aunts and uncles. The home lost was a beacon for so many family and friends where many celebrations were held.” The statement described the family as “devastated” and concluded by asking for privacy. Pastini, the sole occupant of the plane, was originally identified by authorities as a retired Chicago police officer.
Antonio Pastini is seen in a photo posted to his Facebook page on Nov. 23, 2017.
Antonio Pastini is seen in a photo posted to his Facebook page on Nov. 23, 2017.
Investigators later received a call from Chicago police telling them the credentials appeared to be fake and they had no record of Pastini working for them, The Orange County Register reported. They also told investigators a badge with the same number had been reported lost in 1978. Investigators believe Pastini’s plane, twin-engine Cessna 414A, began to break up in the sky shortly after taking off from Fullerton airport. National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration officials are investigating the crash.