Pollock's plane found in North Carolina

Updated: 12:53 p.m. EDT

Editor’s note: An updated version of this story is available here.

BRANDON (FBW) — Debris from a single-engine plane piloted by Forrest Pollock, pastor of Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon, was found in a heavily wooded area in western North Carolina Tuesday morning, May 13.

POLLOCK

According to the Citizen-Times in Asheville, N.C., rescue officials confirmed the deaths of Pollock and his 13-year-old son, Preston, who went missing after a “quick stop” in North Carolina Sun., May 11, on their way to Texas.

Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee, a member of the church, confirmed to Tampa Bay ABC Action News that wreckage had been found and there were two bodies on board.

Lt. Clint Parker of the U.S. Air Force Civil Air Patrol, according to the Citizen-Times, said that rescuers did not search by air Monday because of dangerous high winds of up to 60 mph.

At 9 a.m. the church’s Web site, which had been updated after a first posting on Tuesday night, reported the search had narrowed to a specific area.

“There are currently three aircraft assisting in the search,” the Web site reported. “They have acquired the transmitter signal and are continuing to refine the search area. Ground progress is moving ahead slowly due to exceptionally heavy under-growth and rough terrain. Ground teams have also acquired the transmitter signal on their handheld devices.”

The initial posting, at 9:30 p.m. Monday, from the church’s executive pastor, George Thomasson, said: “We have learned that Pastor has not yet reached his destination at the time of this writing.”

Pastor of the 6,000-member church since 2002, Pollock, 44, is married to Dawn Allen. Their five other children are Courtney, 15; Brooke, 14; Hope, 12; Blake, 10; and Kirk, 8.

*This story will be updated as more information becomes available.