7-year-old girl braves woods after Kentucky plane crash that killed family

EDDYVILLE, Ky. -- There are new details in the remarkable story of a little girl who lived through a plane crash that killed her family and then walked through the woods, barefoot and bloodied, to get help. We're now getting a better sense of her bravery that night.

On Sunday morning, a new photo of the Gutzler family was posted by a relative on Facebook. It comes as new details surfaced about the 7-year-old girl named Sailor, who is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her father, mother, sister, and cousin.

The plane took off from Key West, Florida Friday night. Her father, Marty Gutzler, was in the pilot seat. He was taking the family back home to Illinois. But just before 6 p.m. local time, he reported engine problems and lost contact with air traffic controllers. The plane crashed, ending up upside down. But nobody seems to have seen it fall from the sky.

FAA records reveal that Gutzler, the man at the controls, was an extremely experienced commercial pilot and a certified flight instructor.

Police say little Sailor -- alone, barefoot, and bleeding -- walked through dark, thick brush and woods and followed a light in the distance. She ended up at the doorstep of Larry Wilkins.

"She thought her arm was broken, and her left foot was hurting pretty bad," he said. "She was barefooted by the way, she had one sock."

Police say Sailor had to get through hills, creeks, even railroad tracks in total darkness. She walked for about 15 to 20 minutes in that rough terrain.

"She walked through briers and thorns," said Kentucky State Police Lt. Brent White. "There's one creek bed that was probably 12-foot deep that she walked through to get from point A to point B."

White added that the girl "was dressed for Florida," wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt despite the temperature being 38 degrees. The family was headed to their hometown of Nashville, Illinois, at the time.

"She didn't have very much clothing on at all," White said.

Little Sailor walked, while knowing the whole time that her parents had died.

"She indicated to us that she believed her family was deceased but that she hoped they were just sleeping," Lt. White said. "I was literally just struck by how calm she was able to and the ability for her to give us this information."

"I wouldn't want to go into those woods right now in the dark," said Wilkins. "There's no doubt in my mind. She's a brave little girl."

Back home, the family is beloved. Marty and his wife Kimberly owned a furniture store. Their home was a place where all the neighborhood kids would gather.

Family friends say Marty, a longtime pilot, had made that same trip to Florida before.

"He loved flying," said family friend Fred Prug. "I mean, you didnt have a conversation with Marty without him talking about flying."