2 Sisters HS students, 3rd teen killed in crash on Forest Service road west of Sisters

(Update: DCSO releases names)

Two of three occupants thrown from vehicle when it left road, hit tree

SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Three teens -- two of them Sisters High School students -- were killed Thursday night when their SUV left a Forest Service road west of Sisters and struck a tree, throwing two of the three occupants, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office reported Friday.

Deputies were dispatched at 9:17 p.m. to the reported single-vehicle crash on Forest Service Road 15, about a mile south of state Highway 242, the Old McKenzie Highway, Lt. William Bailey said.

Bailey said the silver 2008 Mercedes SUV left the road and struck a large tree, ejecting two of the three people inside.

Bailey said a resident of the nearby Crossroads subdivision heard the crash and called authorities. When the first deputy arrived, a camper headed into the forest also came upon the crash scene and was calling in, he said..

Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Department personnel also responded and determined all three occupants had died at the scene.

Bailey said later Friday that two of the three teens were 17-year-olds from Sisters. He did not release their names, since they were juveniles, but identified the third person as Amelie Malerva-Locke. 18, of Sebastopol, California.

"Investigators are still working to confirm where each occupant was seated at the time of the crash," Bailey said, "and believe speed was a contributing factor."

Authorities on Oct. 14 released the names of the two Sisters teens, Geneva Tallman and Hannelore "Lala" Debari.

An Oregon State Police crash reconstructionist also responded to assist in the investigation, which blocked the road for about five hours.

"Our thoughts are with the families and the Sisters community during this extremely difficult time," Bailey said.