Staff Report
Two UNM students died over fall break after their vehicle crashed near Cuba.
Rachael McCoy and Michael O'Neill, both 18, were on their way home to Farmington when the crash happened, said Tim Lucero, undersheriff for Sandoval County.
They left Albuquerque on Thursday, but the vehicle was not discovered until Friday morning off N.M. 550, Lucero said.
The cause of the crash is unknown, and police are still investigating, Lucero said.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
He said McCoy might have fallen asleep at
the wheel.
"At this point, we don't have no evidence to show there was anything else that caused the vehicle to lose control - no skid marks, brake marks - nothing to show the vehicle was out of control," he said.
O'Neill was a member of UNM's chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha.
His fraternity brothers will travel to Farmington on Wednesday for his funeral, member Steve
Barela said.
"It's been a hard weekend," he said. "He had a wonderful personality. I was always laughing with him. He was just a great person."
McCoy was a member of UNM's chapter of Alpha Chi Omega.
Alpha Chi Omega and Pi Kappa Alpha held a service for their friends Monday at the University Chapel, said Lauren Anuskewicz, a member of the sorority.
Anuskewicz said the sorority sisters are dealing with the loss together.
"We're a really strong sisterhood. We've been leaning on each other since we found out about it," she said. "We're just holding together to each other so we can move forward, because we know she would want us to."
Barela said O'Neill could light up a room with
his smile.
"I don't think there's a single person in this world that he couldn't make smile. He was just fun-loving," he said. "I don't remember him ever not smiling, and I don't remember anyone ever not smiling with him."
Anuskewicz said McCoy was always thinking of other people.
"She was the sweetest person you'd ever meet," she said. "She would do anything for anyone without batting an eyelash."
UNM President David
Schmidly sent letters of
condolences to the students'
parents.
"That's the saddest thing in the world. It just broke my heart," Schmidly said. "There's nothing worse in the life of a parent than to lose a child."
