Last Text From Sports Reporter to Husband Before She Died in Plane Crash: ‘I Love You’

Acadiana head coach Matt McCullough (L) speaks with Carley McCord (C) following a win over the Destrehan in the State Division 5A Championship football game in Lafayette, La., on Dec. 14, 2019. Scott Clause/The Daily Advertiser via AP

Right before she took off on a flight that would ultimately result in her death, local sports reporter Carley McCord texted “I love you” to her husband.

The plane that she was on crashed, killing her and four other people, as it was heading from Lafayette, Louisiana, to Atlanta, Georgia, for LSU’s clash with Oklahoma.

Her husband, Steven Ensminger Jr., told ABC News that he got the message before it was too late.

“It’s the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I finally fall asleep,” Ensminger, the son of LSU football offensive coordinator Steven Ensminger, told the network.

“Every once in a while throughout the day, I find myself grabbing my phone and sending a text to her phone replying, ‘I love you too.’ Now I don’t know if that’s crazy of me or not, but I’m praying she gets my message. And I wish there was a way she could let me know she has,” he said.

His aunt was the one who delivered the news to him.

Fallen tree limbs covers the ground near the site of a plane crash near Feu Follet Road and Verot School Road in Lafayette, La. on Dec. 28, 2019. Scott Clause/The Lafayette Advertiser via AP

“I don’t have my phone and she sends me a message saying she loved me,” Ensminger also told Sports Illustrated. “One of the hardest things I’m dealing with is that I missed her text and I missed her call. It is by far the most pain, angst, and terror and just darkest time of my life.”

In another interview, Ensminger told CNN: “She was my everything. She loved so fiercely. It’s so hard and it hurts too much. I just want her here with me. That’s all I want. She is and will forever be my world.”

According to National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg, the plane made no distress call before it went down, reported USA Today. The cause of the crash has not yet been disclosed.

The victims killed in the crash were identified Ian Biggs, 51; Vaughn Crisp, 59; Gretchen Vincent, 51; Walker Vincent, 15; and McCord. McCord had worked for NBC station WSDU.

Stephen Berzas, 37, was identified as the lone survivor of the crash. He is said to be in critical condition.

“The outpouring of compassion and encouraging words for Wade are deeply felt by our whole family,” the Berzas family told ABC. “We are truly grateful to be held so strongly in prayer by this community ... Our hearts ache for our friends and the families affected by this tragic event. Please offer us privacy in the days ahead as we give Wade our focused energy and loving support.”