Megan Hilty launches GoFundMe to help recover bodies of her family members who died in plane crash

Smash actor Megan Hilty has asked fans to consider donating to a GoFundMe that would help her pay a private company to recover the remains of her family members after they died in a plane crash last month.

On 4 September, a floatplane carrying 10 people crashed in Mutiny Bay near Seattle, killing everyone on board. Hilty later revealed that she lost four family members in the crash. Her sister Lauren Hilty, who was eight months pregnant, her brother-in-law Ross Mickel, and their son Remy, were all on board.

“The last three days have been the worst of our lives,” Hilty wrote on Instagram last month, adding: “There are truly no words to appropriately convey the depth of our grief.”

At the time, Hilty also revealed Ross and Lauren were survived by their daughter, “who we are all holding in our hearts”.

On Wednesday 19 October, the actor announced on Instagram that she and her sister Kristen had created a GoFundMe in the hopes of raising enough money to hire a private company to recover the bodies of their loved ones. She revealed that her brother-in-law’s body was recovered in the days after the crash, but her sister and two nephews were not.

“When the [National Transportation Safety Board] brought up the plane, several victims were recovered, and thankfully Ross was one of them - but our beloved sister and nephews were not,” Hilty wrote on Instagram, and in the description of the GoFundMe. “Now that the NTSB has concluded its work, it is up to us to hire a private company to go look for them. While the chances are slim, there is still a possibility we can find them, and we all agree that at the end of the day, we want to say we did everything we could to bring them home.”

In the caption of the post, which Hilty attached to a photo of her sister holding her two-year-old son Remy, the actor explained that she was reaching out for help because “a search and recovery mission of this magnitude comes at a tremendous cost”.

Per the GoFundMe, the family is hoping to raise $50,000 to cover the cost of recovering the bodies, while Hilty noted that, any money raised beyond the family’s goal would be donated “to the incredible team who have dedicated their lives to helping families like ours search for their loved ones”.

“Please consider supporting us in our final efforts to bring Lauren, Remy and Luca home if you can. In any case, I speak for my entire family when I say thank you for your love, support and generosity during this incredibly challenging time. Be well, and thank you,” she concluded.

In the day since Hilty and her sister created the GoFundMe, the fundraiser has surpassed its goal and raised $57,354 as of Thursday. The fundraiser was able to meet its goal with 688 donations, which included a donation from Hilty’s Smash co-star, Katharine McPhee, as well as fellow celebrities Rachel Zegler, Leslie Odom Jr, and John Stamos.

On social media, the heartfelt plea has been met with an outpouring of support from Hilty’s fans, followers and friends, who have expressed a desire to help her family in their attempt to recover their family members.

“Oh Megan, I am so so sorry. I can’t imagine what your family is going through. My heart is with you and I’m praying they are brought home,” Debra Messing wrote, while actor Rory O’Malley commented: “I will help you and your family in any way I can. Always. Sending you so much love.”

While speaking to People on Wednesday, Hilty and her sister said they were “absolutely blown away by the outpouring of love and generosity” they’d received since sharing the GoFundMe. “Our family is infinitely grateful to feel so supported in our efforts to bring Lauren, Remy and Luca home.”

In a statement to People, a spokesperson for NTSB said that “aircraft recovery operations concluded on 30 September,” but that its investigators are continuing “to examine the wreckage to determine the probable cause of the crash in our safety investigation”.

“More than 26 personnel from five federal and local agencies participated in the recovery operations. The ROV conducted 17 dive missions. More than 184 acres of seafloor area was searched (approximately 3,500 feet by 2,300 feet). The majority of the aircraft was recovered with parts sent to the NTSB laboratory in Washington, DC,” the spokesperson said.