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Two victims of a Thursday night fatal car crash near Sisters were 17-year-old female students from Sisters High School, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office and Joe Hosang, the school’s principal.

Sheriff’s Lt. William Bailey said a third victim was Amelie Malerba-Locke, 18, of Sebastopol, California.

The three teenagers died after the 2008 Mercedes SUV veered off Forest Road 15, about a mile south of state Highway 242, and into a tree, Bailey said.

First responders were called to the scene at about 9:17 p.m., Bailey said.

An investigation determined that the SUV, traveling north, left the road for unknown reasons and hit the tree, ejecting two of the three people inside, the release stated. Bailey said investigators believe speed was a contributing factor.

Hosang confirmed that two of the victims were Sisters students in an email to families.

“I am finding this email extremely difficult to write as I am trying to find the words to express how sad we are at Sisters High School as we are trying to process that two more of our Outlaws have died,” Hosang wrote. “We are heartbroken and our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with the families right now.”

Hosang did not say in his email if the third victim of the car crash was also a student at Sisters High School. He did not identify either of the students, out of respect to their families, he wrote.

“The primary reason for this email is to let you know that we are here to support our students, staff and families through the grieving process,” Hosang wrote.

Next week, Sisters High School staff will hold both virtual and in-person support for those grieving the loss of their classmates and community members, Hosang wrote.

“Please know that we all deal with grief differently and feel different emotions,” Hosang wrote. “Please take care of yourselves, love each other and let us get ready to wrap our arms around these two families and support each other during this tragic time of loss.”

Hosang also urged community members to not spread rumors about the fatal crash.

“They may turn out to be untrue and can be deeply hurtful and unfair to the students and their families and friends,” he wrote.

This story will be updated when more information is available.