The Diva De La Banda's brothers didn't wait for the DNA tests to confirm that one of the bodies found in the crash site was their sister.
- Dec 14, 2012
AceShowbiz - Jenni Rivera's body has been found on the plane crash site and has positively been identified. "We have received 100 percent confirmation that my sister Jenny has gone to be with the Lord," her brother Pedro Rivera, Jr. said to reporters outside their father Pedro Rivera's home in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 13.
"They did show pictures to my brothers of the body, but not the full body. Juan was able to say 'that was my sister' and he said 'I don't need more.' Gus also said 'that was our sister,' " Pedro said. He added, "They didn't have to wait for the DNA. They just knew it was my sister and now they are flying back to Los Angeles with the body."
The two brothers arrived on the crash site in the northern state of Nuevo Leon on Wednesday to identify the body. DNA tests have been performed, and the results verified that it's the 43-year-old singer. Diva De La Banda's remains have been cremated and delivered to her brother, musician Lupillo Rivera.
The remains of other people boarding the plane have also been found and identified by The Forensic Medical Service of Monterrey, Mexico. They were her makeup artist, stylist, publicist, lawyer as well as two pilots who handled the chartered Learjet 25 plane. They were headed to Toluca, Mexico after Jenni had a sold-out concert in Monterrey.
Her brother Pedro said plans for a public service and a tribute concert in remembrance of his deceased sister would be soon underway in Los Angeles. Details would be announced later. "Keep on praying for the family," he concluded, "for the plans that we have, the funeral services. ... and I ask you to keep on respecting the family."
The tragic accident happened on early Sunday, December 9. Jenni's plane lost contact with air traffic controllers about 10 minutes after taking off or approximately 60 miles away from Monterrey. Concert promoter Jesus Arreola said he offered the singer to stay in the city for the night, but she insisted on leaving due to a scheduled gig in Mexico City.
"We spoke to her and her representative (Mario Macias) at 2:30 A.M.," said Jesus. "During that call was when they informed us that she had changed her plans and that they would be flying out right away to Toluca." He added, "We had four tables in the VIP area and we had her disguise ready for her so no one would recognize her. We also had reserved a hotel for her."
The plane crashed nose-first from 28,000 feet upward in 30 seconds, causing it badly-destroyed. Christian E. Esquino Nunez from Starwood Management, the company which owned the plane, insisted maintenance and safety issues had nothing to do with the accident. Instead, he suggested Miguel Perez Soto, the 78-year-old pilot, may have suffered a heart attack or was incapacitated in some other way and the co-pilot was unable to save the plane.
While police were investigating the cause of the accident, photos from the crash site were leaked to the Mexican media, prompting an investigation by authorities. Two police officers were arrested after items belonging to the victims were found at their homes. Video of the crash site was also found on one of their cell phones.
