Plane carrying Drake grad missing in Montana; Erika Hoefer 1 of 2 reporters on board

Update, 5:25 June 30

Plane Carrying Missing Drake Graduate Spotted From Air

Initial post

BELOIT, Wis. (AP) - One of two reporters missing in Montana used to work at the Beloit Daily News.

Twenty-seven-year-old Erika Hoefer started in Beloit in 2005 after graduating from Drake University in Iowa. She and another reporter at the Daily Inter Lake of Kalispell were among four people on a small airplane that disappeared Sunday. Searchers were still looking for the plane Tuesday.

Hoefer started designing page layouts and writing stories for the features department and later became a full-time reporter besides her graphic arts duties.

Beloit Assistant Fire Chief Tim Curtis told the Beloit Daily News that Hoefer's father is a retired firefighter. Curtis says her parents are in Montana awaiting their daughter's return.

The Hagadone Corporation owns both newspapers, but Hoefer worked in the Chicago area before Montana.

___

Information from: Beloit Daily News, http://www.beloitdailynews.com

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.

More information from Daily Inter Lake, including:

Flathead County Sheriff Mike Meehan said Hoefer last updated her Facebook page at 1:40 p.m. with a message reading, “We're flying to the park and we're later going to a barbecue.” ...

Radar image of flight path and other information about the plane and flight from FlightAware: Live Flight Tracker > N7581J