Coroner: 2 Women Dead after Car Submerges in Lake

Jackson County, Illinois officials say two women are dead after their car submerged in a lake near Carbondale.  The coroner’s office says the accident happened just after 3 a.m. Saturday.  Carbondale police were notified a vehicle had driven off a boat launch area at Cedar Lake.  Police say five people were in the car and three managed to escape.  The deceased were identified as college students, 20-year-old Marielle Carson of Chicago and 21-year-old Latisha Ray of Carbondale.  Both were pronounced dead at the scene.  The coroner says a preliminary examination shows both women died as a result of drowning.  Toxicology tests are pending.