Found Deceased NC - Stephanie Mayorga, 27, & Paige Escalera, 25, Wilmington, 15 Apr 2020

[websloth500]

Such a sad story. With what we know already, I too believe that it may have been intentional. I believe Paige may have wanted to call off the whole relationship and Stephanie went off the rails, and decided she was taking herself and Paige both out. But regardless, it was 2 beautiful, intelligent women gone way to soon. My prayers to both the families and friends,

 

[Lusitana]

It seems like it was a pretty intense relationship. It also seems like it was a long distance relationship for a period of time. I wonder if the relationship got a little messy after they moved in together and the lovey-dovey stuff started to wear out. It's pretty common for relationships to go from really good to really bad when the couple starts living together.

 

[CaptainGumShoe456]

how many feet into the woods was the vehicle found?

 

[sloothseeker]

how many feet into the woods was the vehicle found?

about 120 ft according to some investigating by Gary Hughes videos

 

[CaptainGumShoe456]

if the 2 bodies turn out not to be SM and PE, that would be super creepy

 

[Rocky1]

How do we know they were going 100 mph? Is that just a guess from LE or from the witnesses that were in the car in front of them, looking through their rear view mirror? How would anyone know how fast they were going? Doesn’t look like that much damage to the car if they were really going 100 mph. MOO

Cars have what's called a "Data Event Recorder" that loops over and over until there's a crash and then it records several things 5 or 10 seconds before, during, and after the crash.
After a crash, if it's a fatality, LE can plug into the Data Link, (without a warrant) and download information like how fast the vehicle was going, engine RPM, when the airbags deployed, and whether or not the brake lights came on before or after you hit the tree. There's a graph that shows distance in relation to speed, so if it shows the vehicle travels 200 ft. at 0 MPH for example, and the brake lights are on, they can tell the vehicle was skidding. If the vehicle was traveling at say 60 MPH, then reads 0 and the distance traveled in feet stops on the graph, and then the brake lights apply for a second, they can tell you hit something solid after you fell asleep because your initial reaction would be to hit the brakes when you woke up.
Some vehicles record a lot more than that. Class 8 trucks (Trailer Trucks) have data stored where a mechanic can plug into the Data Link and can display/download data from the previous month. Things like how many hours the truck idled, how many times the Jake Brake was used, and when, how many times the clutch was depressed, how many times the brakes were applied and using the graph showing speed vs. distance can tell if it was a panic stop, or not. It records other things too, like if the engine was overheated, or was oversped before it blew up. There's also a clock that shows time and date that each event happens, and you can track an entire trip from coast to coast and tell exactly where the vehicle was when an event happens. They've been using those for almost 20 years now.

 

[Vail]

After watching the Gray Hughes video, I don't think it was intentional at all. It looks like she didn't realize the turn was coming up and by the time she hit the curb there was nothing she could do. I think if you wanted to do a suicide, you'd jump off a bridge together or drive off a cliff or into a lake. This particular place wouldn't guarantee death. Here are screencaps:

You can see how she clearly just blew through the stopsign and missed the turn. You can also see the lack of good lighting on this intersection.


Closeup. Red line is the car trajectory


Here you can barely see the car's path over the curb and into the trees from bottom center to top right.

The path from bottom right was made by vehicles pulling the car out where it landed in the dark area in front of the tree at top right. It likely hit and bounced backwards to the left.

You can see where they hit a low wet area first (car path on left pointing to top right, LE path from bottom right to top)


Crash site:

 

[sloothseeker]

Good article in Wilmingon news..... In the light of day: Friends of missing women ask why WPD didn’t return to search crash scene the following day | Port City Daily

 

[madfrank]

Such a sad story. With what we know already, I too believe that it may have been intentional. I believe Paige may have wanted to call off the whole relationship and Stephanie went off the rails, and decided she was taking herself and Paige both out. But regardless, it was 2 beautiful, intelligent women gone way to soon. My prayers to both the families and friends,

Yeah, but that's a bit of a victim-blaming stretch at this point, is it not. Far easier just to find the wreck was caused by inattentive, wreckless driving; if there was a motive it may never be known -- but it, at this point, remains motiveless, an accident.

 

[Rocky1]

After watching the Gray Hughes video, I don't think it was intentional at all. It looks like she didn't realize the turn was coming up and by the time she hit the curb there was nothing she could do. I think if you wanted to do a suicide, you'd jump off a bridge together or drive off a cliff or into a lake. This particular place wouldn't guarantee death. Here are screencaps:

You can see how she clearly just blew through the stopsign and missed the turn. You can also see the lack of good lighting on this intersection.
View attachment 246289

Closeup. Red line is the car trajectory
View attachment 246290

Here you can barely see the car's path over the curb and into the trees from bottom center to top right.
View attachment 246291
The path from bottom right was made by vehicles pulling the car out where it landed in the dark area in front of the tree at top right. It likely hit and bounced backwards to the left.
View attachment 246292
You can see where they hit a low wet area first (car path on left pointing to top right, LE path from bottom right to top)
View attachment 246293

Crash site:
View attachment 246294

I haven't been following this thread, so I'm sure I've missed a lot, but your statement makes a lot of sense.
The only thing that makes me think differently, is... Why no skid marks? You'd think that there would be at least some unless she fell sleep, or was intoxicated to the point where her reactions were slowed. I would think the cops would have been looking for skid marks not only on the pavement, but in the dirt before they went into the trees?
I'm sure at 100 mph she was over-running the headlights, and at 100 mph, would have been traveling at 146 feet per second, so she wouldn't have had much time to react, but to me anyway, I'd think there would be some signs of braking.
Another thing that puzzles me is even in the daylight, nobody seemed to see signs of tree breakage, unless they chalked it up to an older accident scene.

 

[madfrank]

After watching the Gray Hughes video, I don't think it was intentional at all. It looks like she didn't realize the turn was coming up and by the time she hit the curb there was nothing she could do. I think if you wanted to do a suicide, you'd jump off a bridge together or drive off a cliff or into a lake. This particular place wouldn't guarantee death.

Exactly. Fine post. An accident without intent.

The word accident presupposes no motives.

 

[xjd11]

sorry if i've missed this, trying to follow the thread of this case. has LE confirmed the bodies are Paige and Stephanie? i know this thread says "found deceased" and yes probably the 2 bodies in the car are them, but i've not yet seen LE confirm the identities. just wondered if i missed something.

 

[Detectivediva]

Good article in Wilmingon news..... In the light of day: Friends of missing women ask why WPD didn’t return to search crash scene the following day | Port City Daily

Thank you for posting this great article. Did anyone else catch the part toward the end...

"Jacqueline Garland met Mayorga when they were students at Ashley High. She said she had last seen Mayorga a few days before she was reported missing. They had both attended a memorial gathering for a mutual friend who had also died after crashing his car into a wooded area."

 

[carbuff]

If the car went airborne when it hit the curb, it probably didn't leave any marks on the dirt or underbrush. Especially not prominent enough to see in the dark, by flashlight. I don't fault them for missing the car then. I have to wonder why nobody came back to check in the daylight.

 

[AmandaSkis]

Thank you for posting this great article. Did anyone else catch the part toward the end...

"Jacqueline Garland met Mayorga when they were students at Ashley High. She said she had last seen Mayorga a few days before she was reported missing. They had both attended a memorial gathering for a mutual friend who had also died after crashing his car into a wooded area."

What??? That’s very coincidental.

 

[Backstroke10]

Cars have what's called a "Data Event Recorder" that loops over and over until there's a crash and then it records several things 5 or 10 seconds before, during, and after the crash.
After a crash, if it's a fatality, LE can plug into the Data Link, (without a warrant) and download information like how fast the vehicle was going, engine RPM, when the airbags deployed, and whether or not the brake lights came on before or after you hit the tree. There's a graph that shows distance in relation to speed, so if it shows the vehicle travels 200 ft. at 0 MPH for example, and the brake lights are on, they can tell the vehicle was skidding. If the vehicle was traveling at say 60 MPH, then reads 0 and the distance traveled in feet stops on the graph, and then the brake lights apply for a second, they can tell you hit something solid after you fell asleep because your initial reaction would be to hit the brakes when you woke up.
Some vehicles record a lot more than that. Class 8 trucks (Trailer Trucks) have data stored where a mechanic can plug into the Data Link and can display/download data from the previous month. Things like how many hours the truck idled, how many times the Jake Brake was used, and when, how many times the clutch was depressed, how many times the brakes were applied and using the graph showing speed vs. distance can tell if it was a panic stop, or not. It records other things too, like if the engine was overheated, or was oversped before it blew up. There's also a clock that shows time and date that each event happens, and you can track an entire trip from coast to coast and tell exactly where the vehicle was when an event happens. They've been using those for almost 20 years now.

Thanks Rocky1. Great information. Do all cars have the data event recorder?

After watching the Gray Hughes video, I don't think it was intentional at all. It looks like she didn't realize the turn was coming up and by the time she hit the curb there was nothing she could do. I think if you wanted to do a suicide, you'd jump off a bridge together or drive off a cliff or into a lake. This particular place wouldn't guarantee death. Here are screencaps:

You can see how she clearly just blew through the stopsign and missed the turn. You can also see the lack of good lighting on this intersection.
View attachment 246289

Closeup. Red line is the car trajectory
View attachment 246290

Here you can barely see the car's path over the curb and into the trees from bottom center to top right.
View attachment 246291
The path from bottom right was made by vehicles pulling the car out where it landed in the dark area in front of the tree at top right. It likely hit and bounced backwards to the left.
View attachment 246292
You can see where they hit a low wet area first (car path on left pointing to top right, LE path from bottom right to top)
View attachment 246293

Crash site:
View attachment 246294

Thanks Vail. Finally some good pictures that show the whole area.

 

[Coffiecat]

A couple things I noted:

There are three "soft shoulder" signs. No "Stop ahead" sign.

Shoulder on Google looks soupy. Dropping a wheel in it could easily cause an over-correction yaw.

The sign is as the road intersects while curving right, likely for a 90 degree corner, visibility reasons. Hard to see, and 60mph is 88ft/sec so there's little time to react. Trying to turn left is my guess at the driver's actions.

Curb is clearly busted in one pic, a large curved section, as well as undercarriage scraping. That takes an enormous amount of force, especially from a 3200lb car. It also takes a LOT of forward momentum away. Having hit a median, as a passenger, in a far larger Caprice patrol car, even at a lesser speed, I can attest. I'd envision it was a heck of a boom, and probable spark show. Really short wall, and all...

Black box data retrieval laws vary by state, and I would just about bet that fatal accidents are one time an investigator would prefer to have a signed warrant. Adding the possibility of negligence on the part of LE, I'd loan the judge my good pen.

Speedometer needles are less likely to freeze, than to spring ahead and impact the micro-dust on the dial, leaving a witness mark. Pre-black-box investigating. With the time lapse, seeing any skid/yaw marks would be tough.

Google view shows far less vegetation than the pics. Spring in the area, especially adjacent to marsh, is pretty wild for growth. Small car, well off the road, at night, in the underbrush, could be easy to miss. Day shift, different Officers, dispatch, supervisors, rare to follow up on that, unfortunately.

I had a 3AM crash scene where it appeared that a 70's Olds 88 fell from the sky and landed in the middle lane of an expressway, dead-stop, with a bunch of dirt around it, scaring the Corolla driver coming behind bad enough he hit the divider, crossed 3 lanes, hit a pole, knocked the light down. LSS, it was less alien abduction than Duke Boys, as he'd missed a ramp turn, ditched, cleared a guardrail two tiers up, clipped a light pole, causing an in-flight 90 degree turn, hit sideways, flipped, fell the last tier landing on it's tires. Sober. Distracted by eating mom's spaghetti on the way home from laundry night.

Regardless, the girls were found, families can begin to heal, and we'll all move on to the next mystery.

 

[dalsglen]

If the car went airborne when it hit the curb, it probably didn't leave any marks on the dirt or underbrush. Especially not prominent enough to see in the dark, by flashlight. I don't fault them for missing the car then. I have to wonder why nobody came back to check in the daylight.

In one of the articles in stated the 911 caller stayed on scene while the police were searching. Knowing what they saw and the police finding no signs of the car that night, I can't believe the caller didn't go back in daylight either. Maybe I'm just too nosey, but I would have gone back, the alternative would be me driving myself crazy thinking I'm inagining things.

 

[Rocky1]

Thanks Rocky1. Great information. Do all cars have the data event recorder?


Thanks Vail. Finally some good pictures that show the whole area.

Event Data Recorders have been used primarily in race cars since the mid 90's. In the early 2000's the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started pushing for EDR's to be installed in all cars. and by 2014, it was mandatory.

 

[Rocky1]

A couple things I noted:

There are three "soft shoulder" signs. No "Stop ahead" sign.

Shoulder on Google looks soupy. Dropping a wheel in it could easily cause an over-correction yaw.

The sign is as the road intersects while curving right, likely for a 90 degree corner, visibility reasons. Hard to see, and 60mph is 88ft/sec so there's little time to react. Trying to turn left is my guess at the driver's actions.

Curb is clearly busted in one pic, a large curved section, as well as undercarriage scraping. That takes an enormous amount of force, especially from a 3200lb car. It also takes a LOT of forward momentum away. Having hit a median, as a passenger, in a far larger Caprice patrol car, even at a lesser speed, I can attest. I'd envision it was a heck of a boom, and probable spark show. Really short wall, and all...

Black box data retrieval laws vary by state, and I would just about bet that fatal accidents are one time an investigator would prefer to have a signed warrant. Adding the possibility of negligence on the part of LE, I'd loan the judge my good pen.

Speedometer needles are less likely to freeze, than to spring ahead and impact the micro-dust on the dial, leaving a witness mark. Pre-black-box investigating. With the time lapse, seeing any skid/yaw marks would be tough.

Google view shows far less vegetation than the pics. Spring in the area, especially adjacent to marsh, is pretty wild for growth. Small car, well off the road, at night, in the underbrush, could be easy to miss. Day shift, different Officers, dispatch, supervisors, rare to follow up on that, unfortunately.

I had a 3AM crash scene where it appeared that a 70's Olds 88 fell from the sky and landed in the middle lane of an expressway, dead-stop, with a bunch of dirt around it, scaring the Corolla driver coming behind bad enough he hit the divider, crossed 3 lanes, hit a pole, knocked the light down. LSS, it was less alien abduction than Duke Boys, as he'd missed a ramp turn, ditched, cleared a guardrail two tiers up, clipped a light pole, causing an in-flight 90 degree turn, hit sideways, flipped, fell the last tier landing on it's tires. Sober. Distracted by eating mom's spaghetti on the way home from laundry night.

Regardless, the girls were found, families can begin to heal, and we'll all move on to the next mystery.

There are 17 states that restrict the usage of data collected from a EDC. With the exception of NH, (and Delaware for restricting insurance companies from installing one) every one of them allow Data to be downloaded without a warrant for the purpose of "Vehicle Safety Research," if there's a fatality, which was the purpose of installing them to begin with.
When a fatality is the result of an accident, the accident is reconstructed, the data is downloaded and sent to the NHTSA. It's reviewed, and say for example 200 accidents involving a certain vehicle did not deploy the side airbag....a recall will be issued.
The usage of that Data in a courtroom is an entire different subject.

Privacy of Data from Event Data Recorders: State Statutes