Body found after St. Pete woman presumed dead in Florida Keys yacht fire: Investigators

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A woman's body was removed from a yacht that was destroyed when it caught fire early Wednesday morning at a Stock Island marina in the Florida Keys. 

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office had previously spent hours Wednesday searching for 51-year-old Linda Vella, who is from St. Petersburg. Deputies said she was presumed dead after the boat fire. 

Now, investigators said they do believe Vella wasn't able to get off the yacht during the fire and was still aboard during MCSO's search. 

READ: St. Pete woman presumed dead after yacht fire in Florida Keys: Investigators

Vella was onboard the 70-foot Viking yacht with her husband and son as well as another family when the fire started at 12:10 a.m., according to authorities. The yacht was at a marina located on Shrimp Road on Stock Island. 

Her husband and son, 58-year-old Michael Robson and 21-year-old Anthony Vella, were flown to the hospital after the fire. The other family on board was able to escape the fire uninjured, the sheriff's office said. 

The body was recovered after MCSO said they lifted the yacht out of the water. Because it was structurally compromised after the fire, the yacht had to be handled with great care before it could be searched. 

Officials said they are working to identify the woman's body that was recovered from the yacht and autopsy results are pending. They did confirm that no foul play was suspected in the fire as of Friday.