When An Osteen landowner found parts of a Word War II plane, a big mystery still remained. Who was inside that cockpit, and did that person survive?
We now have answers to those questions, thanks to a group of people who never gave up.
Rodney Thomas first discovered parts of a World War II fighter plane wreckage on his, and neighbor's, property four years ago.
But thousands of parts later, and after the Navy launched an investigation, there was one lingering question: who was in the cockpit?
Thomas felt the pilot's story had to be told.
"A man that was serving our country and lost his life learning to fly that plane and to go out and fight for this country," said Rodney Thomas.
PREVIOUS STORIES
- January 4: Parts of World War II scout plane found in Volusia County
- February 18: Navy team investigates World War II bomber crash site
- February 20: More than 300 World War II plane parts collected at Osteen crash site
Just this week, the Navy released its findings to members of the DeLand Naval Air Museum, which is the group that triggered the investigation, solving the mystery surrounding the crash 70 years ago in Osteen.
"We found out who the pilot was, William Belmire from Colorado," said Scott Storz with the DeLand Naval Air Museum.
William Belmire had been commissioned to the DeLand naval air training post just two weeks before the accident.
Belmire's body was recovered from the wreckage, was returned to Colorado and buried with honors there.
He was an only child and his parents are deceased.
Scott Storz and Rodney Thomas want to return these personal items to William Belmire's living relatives.
But both the museum and Thomas want to find any remaining relatives to return items found in Osteen belonging to Belmire: two belt buckles, a parachute buckle, as well as something which could hold sentimental value to Belmire's relatives.
"Most of all we wanna return a broken gold men's chain," said Storz.
Even if Thomas and museum members do not find Belmire's relatives, they want to do one more thing to honor the pilot. They want to build a memorial on the same land where the wreckage was discovered.
"I would like to see a picture of the plane and William on the plaque," said Thomas.
That memorial would sit near the homeowner who not only unearthed the mystery, but helped solve it.