A missing St. Petersburg woman is presumed dead after an early-morning Stock Island boat fire on Wednesday.
A woman's body was found Friday in the wreckage of a yacht that went up in flames in the Florida Keys earlier this week, authorities said.
The body is believed to be 51-year-old Linda Vella, who was aboard the 70-foot yacht when it caught on fire early Wednesday on Stock Island.
Investigators believed Vella was unable to escape the fire and was still aboard the vessel during the ensuing search.
The Monroe County Medical Examiner will confirm the victim's identity, officials said.
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Vella’s husband and son, 58-year-old Michael Kenneth Robson and 21-year-old Anthony Joseph Vella, were also on the boat and airlifted to a hospital in Miami.
Officials said the family is from St. Petersburg and was in the Keys for lobster mini-season.
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A family of four that was also on the boat escaped uninjured.
The fire left the yacht destroyed. The cause of the fire is being investigated, but officials said foul play was not believed to be a factor.
