( CNN ) -- The body of a man found last weekend in a mangrove area near Miami is that of a 42-year-old passenger who fell two days earlier from a small plane , Florida authorities said Tuesday . The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department identified the body as Gerardo Nales , of Key Biscayne . The body was discovered Saturday at 10:30 a.m. , he said . Authorities had been looking for the Key Biscayne man since a pilot 's mayday distress call sent them scrambling . `` I have a door ajar , '' said the pilot of the single-engine Piper PA-46 aircraft , `` and a passenger that fell down . '' Nales , the only other person aboard , `` opened the back door and he just fell down the plane , '' the pilot said , according to a recording of his conversation with air traffic controllers . The pilot , whose name has not been released , said he was flying Thursday afternoon at an altitude of 1,800 feet about two miles from shore when the incident occurred . A police spokeswoman said Saturday after the body was found that it was unclear whether Nales accidentally fell out of the plane or deliberately jumped . Homicide detectives are involved , as they are in all death investigations , Miami-Dade police spokeswoman Sgt . Robin Pinkard said last week . The private plane went on to land safely at Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport , the Federal Aviation Administration said . Passenger killed in vintage plane crash . CNN 's John Branch and Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report .
The body was found last week Thursday afternoon in a mangrove area near Miami-Dade . Medical examiner confirms body is that of 42-year-old Key Biscayne . Pilot tells authorities his passenger fell out at 1,800 feet about two miles .