Two teenagers were killed and a third was hospitalized in a car crash over the weekend while authorities pursued a man suspected of kidnapping a baby.
Early Sunday morning, authorities in Iowa received a report from a woman who said a male acquittance took off with her 1-year-old child in a Kia Sorento, according to a press release from the Fremont County Sheriff's Office. The woman, who was not identified, said she was the victim of domestic assault and that the man had driven her from Nebraska, but left her at a hospital in Hamburg, Iowa.
She told authorities that the "man was suicidal and homicidal," the sheriff's office said.
Fremont County deputies and troopers with the Iowa State Patrol chased the Kia in a pursuit that crossed over into Missouri, the sheriff's office said.
The suspect driving the Kia began driving the wrong way in a northbound lane "at a high rate of speed" and eventually collided into a 2013 Ford Focus, the sheriff's office said. The Kia was engulfed in flames, but deputies were able to rescue the 1-year-old.
Three 18-year-olds were in the Ford Focus, according to an accident report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Two of them, a boy and a girl, were killed in the accident and pronounced dead at the scene.
The third person, a passenger, had "serious" injuries, according to the report.
According to the accident report, the suspect driving the Kia was killed in the crash.
Neither the Fremont County or Missouri State Highway Patrol identified the victims in the accident. The teenagers were identified by NBC News affiliate KSHB as twin sisters Aubrey and Lucy Yeates, along with their friend Kole Cunningham, all from Kearney, Missouri.
Lucy and Kole were both killed in the accident while Aubrey was recovering at a hospital, KSHB reported. A GoFundMe for Aubrey's medical expenses said the the Missouri teens were traveling to see singer Billie Eilish, who was performing in Omaha that weekend.
Eilish commented on a post from a fan Instagram account that urged fellow members of the fan community to donate to the GoFundMe.
"sending so much love to the families. so heartbreaking," the singer wrote.
The mayor of Kearney released a statement offering his condolences to the families of the victims. "In times of sorrow, I offer my deepest sympathies to the Cunningham and Yeates families," Mayor Randy Pogue said in a statement on Facebook. "May courage and hope be the steadfast companions of both families, friends, and all who mourn."
The Yeates family released a statement thanking their community for the support as Aubrey recovers from such a "horrific experience," according to KSHB.
"This incredibly senseless and tragic event has left our families with a hole that will never be filled," the statement said.