The Latest: Driver, kids killed in Idaho crash identified

BOISE, Idaho – The Latest on an Idaho SUV crash that killed a woman and her three children (all times local):

11:15 a.m.

Authorities have identified the mother and three children killed when their SUV plummeted 70 feet off a cliff into a southwest Idaho reservoir.

The Ada County Coroner’s Office in a news release Friday says the cause of death for 40-year-old Noel J. Voermans is drowning.

The coroner’s office listed the cause of death for 13-year-old Anika Noel Voermans, 11-year-old Logan R. Voermans and 8-year-old Gwyneth G. Voermans as drowning associated with blunt-force trauma due to a motor vehicle accident.

The coroner’s office says the manner of death for all four individuals is under investigation from the Thursday crash.

Police say the SUV drove off a cliff near a bridge that crosses Lucky Peak Reservoir on State Highway 21. It sank about 40 feet before hitting the bottom.

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8 a.m.

Authorities in Idaho are trying to determine what caused an SUV to go off a steep cliff and into a reservoir, killing a woman and her three children.

Investigators say they’ll study the wreckage to determine if the vehicle had any mechanical problems.

The Ada County Sheriff’s Office says an autopsy also will be done Friday on the body of the mother, a 40-year-old from Boise.

The crash also killed her 6-year-old and 12-year-old daughters and her 10-year-old son. The Ada County Coroner’s Office is expected to release their names in the next few days.

The SUV plunged about 70 feet off a cliff and into Lucky Peak Reservoir on Thursday.

Sheriff’s officials say a witness saw the vehicle first accelerate from the side of the road. Deputies say they found no skid or brake marks where the vehicle went over the edge.