SURFSIDE, Fla. — As day three of the search and rescue effort drew to a close, the number of people still unaccounted for shrunk by one.

What You Need To Know

  • The official death toll increased during the third day of the search for survivors

  • Families are still holding out hope as the operation continues as a search-and-rescue mission

  • The names of four of the five victims of the condo collapse were released late Saturday night

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced that a body was recovered from the remains of the Champlain Towers South rubble, raising the official death toll to five in the tragedy.

“Our teams have been working around the clock as always to search for survivors. They have not stopped,” Cava said.

For the loved ones of the remaining 156 missing people, family and hope are sustaining them through these difficult times.

“It’s been devastating. As soon as I heard, I drove immediately down here from Orlando with pretty much just the clothes on my back. I had to get down here as quick as I could,” said Josh Spiegel, whose mother, Judy, is among those missing.

His mom and dad, Kevin, bought their condo in Champlain Towers South in 2017 as a second home. In recent years, they have been living there more often. The couple began spending more time there to be closer to their daughter, Rachel, and their grandchildren.

“... And then COVID broke out, and Judy had to spend more time taking care of Rachel’s two children,” said Kevin, who was traveling in California when the building collapsed. He and all of his children rushed to Surfside to rally around each other as quickly as possible after receiving the news.

“That’s without question. We always show up, so I wasn’t questioning. It wasn’t if everyone was going to come, it was when,” Rachel said.

Kevin and Judy Spiegel have been married for nearly 40 years, and all of her children described her as incredibly strong and resilient.

“She’s a fighter, she really is. We just have to have faith that she’s trapped in an air pocket and that we’re going to get her out. And we’re going to fight for her nonstop. If we fight for her, we know she’s going to fight for us,” said one of Judy’s sons, Michael.

In addition to having family close by, the Spiegel family has also received support from community and government leaders, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett.

Kevin Spiegel said they will continue to hold out hope for Judy and are grateful for everything that first responders are doing in the search effort.

“It’s very challenging for the rescuers who are really putting themselves in harm’s way for all of us. We appreciate that, but what we want is my wife and their mother back,” Kevin said.

Late Saturday evening, the Miami-Dade Police Department released the names of four of the five victims of the collapse. They are:

  • Stacie Dawn Fang, 54: Apt. 1002, recovered June 24, 2021
  • Antonio Lozano, 83: Apt. 903, recovered June 24, 2021
  • Gladys Lozano, 79: Apt. 903, recovered June 25, 2021
  • Manuel LaFont, 54: Apt. 804, recovered June 25, 2021