Richard Yerex Missing Person Case

Richard Roy Yerex, a 56-year-old retired pilot, went missing on May 27, 1987, during a routine flight from Palm Beach International Airport to Marsh Harbor in the Bahamas. After a distinguished career as a captain in Ford Motor Company's air fleet, Yerex had retired to North Palm Beach, where he continued flying commuter planes to and from the Bahamas. On the day of his disappearance, he piloted a Cessna 402, a nine-passenger twin-engine plane, departing at 8:05 a.m. from West Palm Beach, intending to pick up tourists in Marsh Harbor and return on a 50-minute flight.

Yerex's last communication occurred near Grand Bahama Island, where he mentioned sighting a weather balloon. However, he never reached his destination, and a search by the U.S. Coast Guard commenced 25 minutes after he failed to arrive. Despite a thorough, multi-day search involving Coast Guard and Air Force aircraft, no trace of Yerex or his plane was ever found. It is speculated that, without life rafts or preservers aboard, the plane might have sunk without a trace in the ocean.

Yerex, an experienced pilot with 35 years of flying under his belt, had a long career that included service during the Korean War and extensive time flying for Ford. His sudden and unexplained disappearance left his family, including his eight children, without answers. Despite the extensive search efforts and Yerex’s flying expertise, his case remains unsolved to this day.
Last Seen: May 27, 1987

Missing Person / NamUs #MP19481

4153DMFL - Richard Yerex - Doe Network

Cessna 402C N2652B - The Quester Files

Missing Persons, from NAMPN 1987 to 1989 - Poli-con-deaths