It has been a week since singer Jenni Rivera's plane "nose-dived" 28,000 feet in 30 seconds at 620 miles per hour in Mexico.
Funeral plans are currently underway with rumors circulating that two services will be held, one in Long Beach, Los Angeles and the second in Mexico.
The Rivera family has previously confirmed the services will be open to the public.
According to LaLate, reports state the funeral service will take place at Long Beach Sports Arena on Dec. 19 from 9 a.m. to noon for the public. A private ceremony will occur after at All Souls Cemetery.
As Latinos Post reported, Rivera has asked not to be cremated, however, Mexican newspaper Reforma reported her remains will be cremated when funeral services take place at the Guadalupe Premier Funeral Home in Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
According to Reforma, the funeral home, not Rivera's family, requested a red colored urn.
Meanwhile, the investigation to the plane crash could take up to a year, in order to determine if the Learjet malfunctioned or there was pilot error. The pilots have been revealed to be Alejandro Torres and Miguel Perez, with the latter being 78-years-old.
An executive of the plane company in charge of the Learjet 25 Rivera and six others were in is currently under investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, but declined to detail as it is an ongoing investigation.
The company, Starwood Management, was previously accused of lying about its links to a businessman convicted of falsifying maintenance records, according to CNN.
The lawsuit was filed by QBE and Commerce & Industry Insurance Company. According to QBE, Starwood's Ed Nunez, who also went by the name "Christian Esquino," maintained connection to the plane company despite being indicted by a federal grand jury in 2002 for falsifying logbooks in order to obtain certificates from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Nunez also pleaded guilty in 2004 for his involvement in obtaining counterfeit Mexican inspection stamps that were used in grading aircraft engines, propellers, and airframes, according to the criminal complaint.
Nunez spoke with the Los Angeles Times, stating Rivera was in the "final stages" of buying the Learjet that eventually ended her life and that the plane was "perfectly maintained." Furthermore, he stated it was not a mistake to have a 78-years-old pilot the plane.
Nunez told The Times, "Obviously, my past -- there is a story to it. I understand that they are going to look at everything. It's unavoidable that they are going to look at my past. ... I think it's fair to bring it up right now and question it."
The DEA confirmed Nunez's connection with Starwood and has subpoenaed all of the company's records, including those with a former Tijuana, Mexico mayor long suspected by US law enforcement as having ties to organized crime, according to the Associated Press.
"The DEA has been investigating me my whole life," said Nunez to the AP in a telephone interview from Mexico City. "They can investigate me all they want and they can investigate Starwood all they want, but they're not going to find anything."
The DEA has claimed that Nunez has ties with Tijuana's drug cartel Arellano Felix, but Nunez denies such claims.
Rivera died on the morning of Dec. 9 as the plane departed from Monterrey, Mexico at 3:30 a.m. on her way to Toluca de Lerdo, west of Mexico City. The plane was reported missing about 10 minutes after liftoff. Rivera was set to arrive in Toluca to attend the Mexican edition of The Voice (La Voz Mexico) on Sunday night, where she serves as one of the four judges.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
