November 4, 2009 Sheriff: 3 ND college students likely didn't see pond

(NECN/AP - Dickinson, N.D.) - Authorities say three North Dakota college students found dead in a Jeep submerged in a rural pond likely didn't see the water as they gazed at the stars.

Stark County Sheriff Clarence Tuhy says that the Dickinson State University softball players may have driven straight into the pond Sunday night. The water was hidden by tall grass on a farm.

Tuhy says it would have been very easy for someone unfamiliar with the area to make such a mistake.

The women called two friends saying they were near water before the calls were cut off. Their bodies were found Tuesday inside the Jeep under about 10 feet of water.

No foul play is suspected in the deaths.

The women were 22-year-old Kyrstin Gemar (geh-MAHR') of San Diego; 20-year-old Afton Williamson of Lake Elsinore, Calif.; and 21-year-old Ashley Neufeld of Brandon, Manitoba.