Tragedy of promising 18-year-old student bound for college who drove into a reservoir and drowned... and her family may never know why
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An Indiana family is struggling to understand why a promising 18-year-old student who was bound for college in the fall drove her SUV into a reservoir and drowned.
Authorities do not know what caused Peyton Reikhof to make the fatal decision to drive across 100 feet of backyards and submerge her vehicle in Geist Reservoir in upscale Fishers, Indiana, an Indianapolis suburb.
They fear they may never know. Investigators say Reikhof acted alone, though they are not sure whether she plowed into the water on purpose or whether it was an accident. Foul play is not suspected.
Promising: Peyton Reikhof, 18, graduated with honors this spring and was headed to the University of Kansas - where she had received an academic scholarship
Tragic: Reikhof's SUV was pulled from eight feet of water on Sunday with the 18-year-old dead inside. She was reported missing on Thursday
Authorities say they may never know why Rekihof drove her SUV into the reservoir. Toxicology tests that will look for whether she was under the influence of substances at the time of her death are pending
She was found Sunday after her boyfriend called police on Thursday to report that she left his house distressed. He said he was concerned about her well-being, WISH-TV reports.
Reikhof had recently graduated from Hamilton Southeastern High School and was planning to attend the University of Kansas on scholarship in the fall.
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ShareShe was a beloved student and dozens of her friends and former classmates turned out to help look for her.
Police and loved ones searched for Reikhof for three days until a neighbor whose home is near Geist Reservoir found tire tracks in her backyard leading to the water.
This surveillance camera image shows the last time Reikhof was seen alive. Her boyfriend said she left his house Thursday night distressed
Mourned: Dozens of Reikhof's high school classmates gathered to remember the tragic teen at a public vigil
She called police and divers discovered Reiskhof drowned in her Mercury Mariner SUV.
The vehicle was 50 yards from shore under eight feet of water.
The coroner is awaiting a toxicology report to determine whether she was under the influence of any substances at the time of her death.
Her family is heartbroken and struggling to understand what happened.
'She was just an amazing girl. She really was. She had so many friends. So active in everything and had an outstanding grade average and had a scholastic scholarship to KU,' her grandfather Michael Reikhof told WISH-TV.
Classmates lit candles to remember the studious teen who loved softball and her friends
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