A missing North Carolina couple who were found decomposed in a car wreck were speeding and likely drinking before they were killed in the crash, authorities said.
Stephanie Mayorga, 27, and fiancée Paige Escalera, 25, were missing for three weeks before their mangled Dodge Dart was discovered covered in vegetation, deep in the woods off River Road, the Wilmington Police Department said.
Evidence showed that Mayorga, who was driving, was speeding last month at 103 miles per hour and hit the brakes just before the car met the curb, which sent the vehicle flying into the air, authorities said.
“The crash happened at the blink of an eye,” Deputy Chief Alex Sotel said Monday at a press conference. “From the time the vehicle hit the curb to the time of collision, only 0.99 seconds had elapsed.”
Sotel said that “alcohol and speed were major factors in the wreck,” though he noted that toxicology tests were unlikely to confirm that the women had been drinking since their bodies were severely decomposed.
Stephanie Mayorga and Paige EscaleraWilmington Police Department“Several open empty beer bottles were discovered in the vehicle and investigators were able to determine the women purchased a 12-pack of beer from the convenience store at 10:42 p.m., roughly one hour before the crash,” Sotel said.
The couple was last seen leaving in the car from their apartment April 15 in what was originally investigated as a disappearance under suspicious circumstances, due to a false ransom tip, authorities said.
