Boat Found in Key Biscayne Incident That Killed 15-Year-Old Skiier

MIAMI (AP) — Investigators located a boat believed to have fatally struck a 15-year-old girl off a south Florida beach and fled without stopping, while friends and family members mourned her loss.

A funeral service for Ella Adler was held Monday morning at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach. Adler was a freshman at Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove and a ballerina with the Miami City Ballet.

“We are heartbroken,” a post on the school’s Facebook page said. “Ella Adler ’27 shined in our classrooms and on our stages, and she embodied the mission of Ransom Everglades School. We wish peace and comfort to her family.”

Adler was skiing near Key Biscayne, just south of Miami, on Saturday afternoon when she fell into the water and was hit by another boat, which immediately sped away, officials said. Witnesses described the hit-and-run craft as a center console boat with a light blue hull, multiple white outboard engines and blue bottom paint, according to a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission statement.

Authorities said they had found a vessel matching the description, and the owner was cooperating with the investigation, ABC News and others reported.

A total reward of up to $20,000 is being offered for information that leads to an arrest.