DICKINSON, N.D. (AP) — The bodies of three missing North Dakota college softball players were found Tuesday inside a Jeep after authorities, aided by signals from the women's last desperate phone calls, spotted the vehicle submerged in a farm pond.
Police Lt. Rod Banyai said officers were investigating the cause of the deaths and autopsies were planned. He said he believed the women were on a stargazing trip in the Jeep when they called for help, but he did not know whether it already was under water when the calls were made.
"At this time, foul play is not suspected," Banyai said Tuesday night. Investigators were working to determine whether the vehicle had any defects or whether alcohol was involved, he said.
Authorities had searched since late Sunday night for Kyrstin Gemar, 22, of San Diego; Afton Williamson, 20, of Lake Elsinore, Calif.; and Ashley Neufeld, 21, of Brandon, Manitoba.
The Dickinson State University students were believed to be in the white 1997 Jeep Cherokee with California plates when two of their friends received telephone calls before the lines went dead. Police described the first as a "very scratchy" call for help in which one of the women said they were near a lake and water.
Banyai said the 12-foot-deep pond where the women were found is a couple miles off a road on a farm northwest of Dickinson, a city of 16,000 people about 100 miles west of Bismarck and 60 miles east of the Montana state line.
He said "pings" — signals sent from a cell phone to a provider tower, or vice versa — from the women's phone calls helped narrow the search area. Searchers on foot found vehicle tracks leading into the pond Tuesday afternoon.
"After that was located, the plane flew over the top and it could see that there was a white object in the water," Banyai said. The submerged vehicle was pulled from the pond about two hours later.
Kyrstin Gemar's parents, Lenny and Claire, said during an earlier news conference at police headquarters, before the bodies were found, that it was not uncommon for his daughter and her friends to go stargazing on the spur of the moment.
Hours later, Lenny Gemar was among parents of at least two of the women who attended a prayer service inside a packed Dickinson State student center ballroom.
"It's the worst day of my life. A parent shouldn't be burying a child. Kyrstin had such a bright future ahead of her," he said.
"We are just trying to be strong for Ashley," said Neufeld's mother, Bev Neufeld. "That's what she would want, and we have so much support here (on campus). We know how much Ashley loved this school. I would just like everybody to remember Ashley's smile and personality."
Dickinson State spokeswoman Constance Walter said the 2,700-student school planned to work with the families and students on campus in dealing with the tragedy.
"They will be greatly missed by their teammates and others," Walter said of the women.
The college listed Gemar as a senior business major who played third base on the softball team. Neufeld was a senior outfielder working on a degree in psychology, and Williamson, a junior, was a pitcher majoring in psychology with a minor in coaching.
"I'm sure it will be difficult for quite a while. But we know that they'll be there with us. They would want us to play," softball teammate Jessica Huseby of Hamilton, Mont., said at the prayer service. "We just know they're going to be the 10th, 11th and 12th players on the field with us."
National News
Police: 3 N.D. college students found dead in pond
- National News
-
-
German man wins Empire State Building race again
A German runner has won an annual race up 86 flights of stairs at the Empire State Building for a record seventh straight time.
-
GOP vows to reverse Obama birth control policy
Republicans vowed Wednesday to reverse President Barack Obama's new policy on birth control, lambasting the rule that religious schools and hospitals must provide contraceptive coverage for their employees as an "unambiguous attack on religious freedom in our country."
-
Sheriff unhappy with dispatcher in Powell case
A 911 recording reveals a social worker's urgent attempts over more than six minutes to get a dispatcher to send deputies after Josh Powell locked himself and his two sons in his home.
-
University of North Dakota will use Fighting Sioux nickname
The University of North Dakota will resume using its contentious Fighting Sioux nickname despite threats from the NCAA, the school's president said Wednesday, marking the latest twist in a protracted fight about a name that critics consider offensive.
-
Boehner: Congress to overturn birth control policy
House Speaker John Boehner says if President Barack Obama doesn't reverse a new policy requiring religious schools and hospitals to provide employees with access to free birth control, the Congress will.
-
Police: Powell withdrew $7,000 day before killings
Utah authorities have for at least six months investigated the disappearance of Susan Powell as a murder case. But without a body, they publicly held out hope that she would be found alive.
-
Jury pool narrows in ex-UVa lacrosse player case
Attorneys on Tuesday narrowed their pool of potential jurors in the trial of a former University of Virginia lacrosse player accused of killing his ex-girlfriend.
-
Looking for work? There may be an app for that
Looking for a promising career in a lousy economy? A new study suggests you're apt to find it in apps — the services and tools built to run on smartphones, computer tablets and Facebook's online social network.
-
CDC: Bread beats out chips as biggest salt source
Bread and rolls are the No. 1 source of salt in the American diet, accounting for more than twice as much sodium as salty junk food like potato chips.
-
Court: California gay marriage ban is unconstitutional
A federal appeals court on Tuesday declared California's same-sex marriage ban to be unconstitutional, putting the bitterly contested, voter-approved law on track for likely consideration by the U.S. Supreme Court.
- More National News Headlines
-
German man wins Empire State Building race again
Man Killed in Courthouse Shootout
Video of Ga. Man Who Killed Girl Released
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
Nevada Highway Patrol, City Settle Beating Case
GOP Vows to Reverse Obama Birth Control Policy
13,000 Is Next Dow Milestone, Record in Sight
Santorum Wins Boost Fundraising, Stifle Romney
U.S. Seeks Political Path to Change in Syria
White House Attacks Romney on Birth Control
Lower-hassle Screening to Be Tested at Airports
Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water
Helmet Camera Captures Calif. Fire Rescue
Worker Tells 911: Powell 'exploded the House'
Triple Win: Santorum Takes Minn., Mo., Colo.
Injured Marine Inspired by Homecoming
No Rape Charges Against Son of NYPD Commissioner
Romney Congratulates Santorum, Focuses on Obama
Paul Says Results Help Him Rack Up Delegates
School Tries to Restore Trust After Abuse Claims
