Illinois State Police are continuing to investigate a fatal crash that occurred early Sunday morning around 3:57 am on I-64 east of Mt. Vernon. According to Jefferson County Coroner Roger Hayse, two women from Ames, Iowa, lost their lives in the single-car accident.
The driver, 61-year-old Carmie Sills, was pronounced dead at the scene. The passenger and owner of the vehicle, 61-year-old Theresa Leibold, was transported to SSM Health Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon, where she died about an hour later.
Authorities report that the vehicle left the roadway for unknown reasons and struck a tree head-on. Investigators plan to examine the airbags for potential clues about the cause of the crash, as there is currently no indication as to why the car left the road.