Teen stowaways found dead in JetBlue landing gear have finally been named

Three months after two bodies were discovered in the wheel well of a JetBlue plane in South Florida, the pair have been identified.

The bodies of Jeik Aniluz Lusi, 18, and Elvis Borques Castillo, 16, were found in the wheel well of a JetBlue flight on January 6.

Staff were conducting a maintenance inspection after it landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport when they made the grisly discovery.

Now, thanks to ‘extensive’ DNA testing, they have been named, Broward Sheriff’s Office said.

The nationalities of the pair hadn’t been released until now, but the teenagers have been confirmed as from Jamaica.

It’s still unclear how they got into the wheel well, or when – the plane had travelled between Jamaica and multiple other locations in the days prior to the discovery of their bodies.

In December, a body was found in the wheel well of United Airlines Flight 202, which travelled from Chicago to Maui’s Kahului Airport.

Sources at the time said that the individual who was discovered on Christmas Eve was a man.

Stowaways’ most used method is to hide in wheel wells and more than 77% of individuals who have tried to catch an illegal ride have died, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

They can get crushed by landing gear when it retracts and they can get frostbite, hypothermia and experience low oxygen levels as planes climb to high altitudes.

In 2023, a man’s body was discovered in the undercarriage of a Tui flight that left from The Gambia’s capital.

The 2,760-mile journey usually takes about six and a half hours by plane.

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