JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A 25-year-old man who died in a small plane crash in central Florida on Sunday may have used his employer's aircraft to commit suicide, according to investigators in Jacksonville and Bushnell, Fla.

Daren Ramphal took off in a Cessna 206 from Herlong Airport on Jacksonville's Westside before dawn on Sunday. Authorities believe he was killed when the plane crashed in a field east of Interstate 75 in Sumter County.

Authorities there located the charred wreckage about 6 p.m. after getting a call from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office asking for help finding the plane.

According to an incident report, Jacksonville police responded to Herlong to investigate a possible suicide attempt. As deputies spotted Ramphal's vehicle, they heard a single-engine aircraft power up and take off.

Finding the hanger empty of an airplane belonging to Skydive Jax -- Ramphal’s employer -- police contacted Ramphal's parents. His mother told an officer she talked to Ramphal by telephone at 5:15 a.m. and he told her he "was going to fill the plane and fly east until he could not fly any more."

Police were told he was depressed over recently breaking up with his girlfriend and because he was of mixed nationality. His girlfriend said she talked with Ramphal about 5 a.m. and he had been drinking beer and taking medication.

Police notified the Federal Aviation Administration of the situation. The Coast Guard and Civil Air Patrol were asked to be on the lookout for a signal from the plane's Emergency Location Transmitter.

The Civil Air Patrol spotted airplane in a field off state Road 50, north of Bushnell. The Sumter County Sheriff's Office said Ramphal's body was found about 20 yards from the fuselage of the plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board was expected investigate the crash scene on Monday.

The owner of Skydive Jax told police during the investigation that he did not wish to press any charges.