Wisconsin, Illinois Women Still Missing After Weeks of Panama Plane Crash; Families Urging US Government for Help

On Jan. 3, Brandon Borries' mother has been missing since an aircraft accident off the coast of Panama in which she was a passenger.

Sue Borries, 57, and Debra Velleman, 70, both retired US teachers, have been missing since flying back to the mainland from a bed-and-breakfast on an island off the coast of Panama in an aircraft that crashed due to an engine failure.

Missing women's families urge the US to help with the search

Debra Velleman's husband, Anthony Velleman, as well as the pilot and another passenger, all survived the crash. Dennis Borries, Sue's husband and Brandon's father, had successfully traveled back to the mainland on the same plane that subsequently crashed. The Velleman and Borries families are now pleading with the US government to help them find the two ladies.

Both sides have requested permission from the US Defense and State Departments to bring in a third party to assist with the search and dive. Borries claims that they must first get permission from the US government to conduct a third-party search. The Panamanian administration has already committed to lend a hand.

Retired Illinois, Wisconsin school teachers among missing

According to ABC7 Los Angeles, the Velleman family from Wisconsin has contacted their state lawmakers, as well as Senator Tammy Baldwin and Representative Scott Fitzgerald. The Borries and Velleman families have been frustrated while waiting for answers owing to a lack of urgency on the side of the US government, Fox News reported.

A week after a plane crashed off the coast of Panama, the families of two missing Americans, including a lady from Waukesha are pleading with the US government to increase search resources. The accident happened on Monday, January 3rd. At the time, there were four persons on board, including a pilot. Anthony and Debra Velleman of Waukesha, Sue Borries of Illinois, Melisa Zachrich of the United States (this information has been revised after original reports incorrectly listed the passenger as Canadian rather than American). Retired Illinois, Wisconsin school teachers among missing

While flying from Isla Contadora to Punta Chame on the mainland, the plane crashed into the water. Sue Borries and Debra Velleman have yet to be discovered. The plane's survivors were transferred to nearby hospitals and treated. Anthony Velleman had the first of two operations to address injuries on January 7, according to a Velleman family spokesperson, with the second scheduled for January 10. Since last week, Panamanian officials have spearheaded the hunt for the missing, but the relatives of the missing want more from US officials, as per CBS58.

According to a family statement, the Panamanian government asked that the US deploy capabilities like as Navy salvage divers and sonar to help in the search and find the debris, but the request was refused this week owing to a lack of assets and authority. As part of the search and recovery effort, the Velleman family has contacted two of their Wisconsin senators, Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Rep. Scott Fitzgerald.

According to Baldwin's office, has provided technical modeling to Panamanian officials to help in the search for the jet. The surviving passengers are still recovering. Anthony Velleman will be flown back to Wisconsin by air ambulance and will require months of significant medical care , ABC News reported