A boat of interest has been located in connection with the hit-and-run death of a 15-year-old who was struck while water skiing in the Biscayne Bay over the weekend.
Authorities have identified a vessel fitting that description of the one that hit Ella Riley Adler on Saturday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Tuesday afternoon.
The owner of the boat – who has not been publicly identified – is cooperating with the investigation, the statement added.
Ella was enjoying a water skiing trip off Key Biscayne’s Nixon Beach when she fell into the water while being towed, the FWC explained.
She was then hit by the center console of an oncoming boat, which did not slow down or stop, witnesses said.
The Miami City Ballet dancer was left floating in the water with what first responders described as “a lot of blood” coming from her body.
The teen was still wearing her life vest and water skis when the boat – described as a light blue vessel with a dark blue bottom – plowed over her.
“You were taken from us way too soon, and the world has been robbed of all the things you could have achieved. But you will always be here with us and your friends and family will carry your energy and spirit forever,” Ella’s father, Matthew Adler, wrote in an emotional letter that was read at Ella's packed funeral on Monday.
Ella – who appeared in over 100 performances with the Miami City Ballet – took on a role in her school’s production of “Chicago” shortly before she died, one friend told the crowd at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach.
As the investigation is ongoing, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission issued an ongoing appeal for witnesses who saw the hit-and-run or may have captured video of the incident.
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