Updated: Wed Nov. 04 2009 19:00:10

ctvwinnipeg.ca

Three women who died in a vehicle in a North Dakota pond may not have seen the water, says a sheriff investigating the case.

"Of course it's dark and when you're not familiar with an area like that, it would have been very easy to just drive into the pond," said Sheriff Clarence Tuhy, from the Star County Sheriff's Department.

The women were driving in a white Jeep Cherokee and were apparently out star-gazing when they hit the pond. The vehicle plunged ten feet, about three metres. The bodies of Ashley Neufeld, 21, from Brandon, Man. and her two friends Kyrstin Gemar, 22, and Afton Williamson, 20, were found inside the vehicle by divers. Neufeld's pet dog was also inside.

Officials say one of the women made two frantic calls on a cell phone to a friend, mentioning something about water before the phone went dead.

Investigators are examing the truck the women were driving.

The three students attended Dickinson State University, where they were all on the softball team. The campus held a candle light vigil for them with more than 1,000 people crammed into a hall to grieve the loss of the three young women.

Friends and family also gathered to mourn at the pond where the women's bodies were found. They tossed in softballs and flowers at the location.

Neufeld's parents came to Dickinson in hopes of finding their daughter alive but say they are finding some comfort in the overwhelming support they've received from people here.

"She'll be missed by more than just the people here. I'll see her smile forever," said Bev Neufeld, Ashley's mom.

"She was the bubbliest person you ever met in your life. That's what makes it hard," said Phil Neufeld, Ashley's dad.

- with a report from CTV's Kelly Dehn