ARDEN, N.C. — (AP) Authorities in Buncombe County say the bodies of two 19-year-olds reported missing in late December have been found in the French Broad River.
Lt. Randy Sorrells with the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division told local media outlets that Aida Bytyqi of Asheville and Swayne Forsythe of Arden were reported missing Dec. 29.
Sorrells said it's presumed Bytyqi and Forsythe died that day. He said the two were headed eastbound on a county road when the 1999 Mercedes Benz they were traveling in struck a tree and went off the road and into the water.
The N.C. Highway Patrol says a group of kayakers spotted the car Tuesday night and called authorities.
The patrol says autopsies are pending to determine the cause of death.