ST. L.UCIE COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office said it responded to a report of a car in a canal near the intersection of Orange Avenue and North Rim Road in Fort Pierce.
The incident was reported Tuesday at around 10:53 a.m. by the South Florida Water Management District, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
"Shortly before 11 a.m. today, workers here with the waste facilities and the canals the South Florida Water Management District maintains, found a car in the canal," FHP Trooper Raeford Griffin told WPTV's Kate Hussey. "Two people were found dead inside."
Troopers said the two women were last seen by their family members Sunday into Monday, around midnight, and have been missing for about a day and a half. No foul play is suspected in their deaths.
According to FHP, the women were heading home and were traveling westbound on Orange Avenue, when they hit a guardrail and swerved off the road and into the canal.
A toxicology report will be conducted to determine whether alcohol played a role in the crash. FHP is also investigating whether speed was a factor.
Orange Avenue will be closed for the next several hours between Sneed Road and the Okeechobee/St. Lucie County line, as FHP and the sheriff's office conduct their investigation. Drivers are advised to seek alternative routes and avoid the area, if possible.
