Missing John Alley was Found

Thank you for all the support that we have received. We have had a lot of help from a lot of people. John was found and there is an investigation going on, so I can't say much more than that.

Here is the article from the Pensacola News Journal.

Police have found a body believed to be that of John Alley, a pilot who had been missing since Saturday.

Alley’s 1996 green Toyota Corolla was found wrecked off of Scenic Highway near Summit Boulevard.

The body was found in the water along the edge of Escambia Bay, about a quarter of a mile northeast of the crash site, said Police Sgt. Mike Simmons.

“I can confirm we have located a body and I am about 99 percent sure it is Mr. Alley,” Pensacola Police Assistant Chief Chip Simmons.

Police detective Mike Reese said a 16-year-old boy was fishing and walking along the shoreline when he saw the body. The teen then notified some nearby searchers.

“We are still working on the crime scene investigation and we have not gotten a positive identification from the family yet. But he was last seen wearing a flight suit and the body found was wearing a flight suit.”

“It’s very difficult to say where he entered the water,” Simmons said. “We are doing our best to answer those questions, primarily how he ended up in the water to begin with.”

Alley, 26, a U.S. Air Force pilot from Milton, was a newlywed, a soon-to-be father and a former missionary.

“It’s a sad situation and we’ve been in contact with the family and the base command,” Simmons said.

An autopsy will be done this week to determine positive identification and cause of death, Simmons said.

Police initially were notified of the crash at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday after Alley’s locked car was found abandoned on Scenic Highway.

Alley is believed to have been southbound on Scenic when the car crossed the center line and hit a guardrail.

Police and search teams had been looking since Saturday for Alley, a 2nd Lieutenant stationed with the Air Force at Whiting Field.