Disturbing Details Found At Gwen Shamblin Lara's Death Scene

Gwen Shamblin Lara was a dietician who founded Weigh Down — a faith-based diet program geared toward those who suffer from obesity and eating disorders. Since its establishment in 1992, Weigh Down has helped thousands of individuals shed excess weight safely. With her program's success, Lara was dubbed the "Pioneer of Faith-Based Weight Loss."

On May 29, 2021, Lara — together with her husband, son-in-law, and two married couples — boarded a Cessna 501 aircraft at the Smyrna Rutherford County Airport in Tennessee. The group was headed to Florida to attend the Women Fighting for America event, but sadly, the plane crashed shortly after takeoff, as reported by the Tennessean. The plane was seen plunging into Percy Priest Lake located near Nashville at around 11 a.m. A witness who was fishing at the time of the incident said that he saw the plane crash into the lake "straight down," per CNN. All seven people aboard the plane were found dead.

Five minutes after the Cessna took off, an air controller communicated with the pilot with instructions to ascend and maintain a height of 15,000 feet. However, the controller did not get a response, and no other communications were heard from the plane afterward. According to a CNN report, the radar's last contact with the Cessna showed that it was traveling at a height of 700 feet and plunging down at a speed of 31,000 feet per minute.

Investigators immediately visited the crash site to determine what might have happened. The Medical Examiner's Office reported that all the bodies of the deceased were found inside the plane. A crane was used to extract the plane's engine and debris from the lake. However, the crew had a difficult time locating parts of the plane in the cloudy lake water. In addition, the debris field was estimated to be half a mile wide, which made the recovery efforts more difficult. According to WKRN, the complete investigation could take up to two years to complete.

Shortly after the plane crash, Gwen Shamblin Lara's daughter, Elizabeth Hannah, messaged members of the Remnant Fellowship Church — a religious group Lara founded — to ask for prayers. At that time, Elizabeth wasn't aware of the gravity of the situation and said that the plane "had to go down for a controlled, quick landing," per Fox News. Elizabeth's husband, Brandon, was among those who died in the crash.

Lara's death devastated many, but she left a legacy in the form of the Remnant Fellowship Church and Weigh Down Ministries. A statement from the group said that Lara's children — Elizabeth Shamblin Hannah and Michael Shamblin — will continue their mother's religious mission and take over her role in the church, as reported by the Tennessean. Followers of the Remnant Fellowship said that Gwen Shamblin Lara was a selfless and caring individual who touched the hearts of millions of people. Investigations regarding the plane crash are still ongoing.