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A memorial to high school students Ariyonna Orozco, 16, and Piper Conkling, 14, stands on Scott Road near Rancho Murieta on Tuesday. The teens died after their vehicle crashed into a tree and caught fire days before. Three other teens were injured. <\/p>\n
JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS<\/p>\n
jvillegas@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
The two high school students killed in a fiery crash Sunday near Rancho Murieta in southeastern Sacramento County were identified by family and friends on social media ahead of a planned community vigil.<\/p>\n
Social media posts identified the victims as Ariyonna Orozco, 16, and Piper Conkling, 14. Neither law enforcement nor the Sacramento County Coroner\u2019s Office has officially identified them as of Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
The two girls died when their car, traveling northbound on Scott Road, crossed into the southbound lane, crashed into a tree and caught fire north of Latrobe Road<\/a>. The 16-year-old driver was traveling with Conkling and another girl and two boys at the time of the crash, according to authorities.<\/p>\n Jennifer Orozco identified Ari, her daughter, as one of the victims in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n \u201cLong live my baby,\u201d she wrote in a Facebook post Sunday. \u201cI am so lost knowing this happened.\u201d<\/p>\n Orozco\u2019s cousin, Sophia Orozco, posted a similar tribute on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cAriyonna Orozco, heaven gained the sweetest angel today. I will forever be grateful for capturing our last memories together,\u201d she wrote. \u201cI will always cherish our last hug & \u2018I love you.\u2019 Rest in peace baby cousin.\u201d<\/p>\n PJ Moeckly, a friend of Conkling\u2019s, posted a tribute to her Instagram page on Sunday, describing Piper as her \u201cbeautiful best friend\u201d and \u201cone of the most important highlights\u201d of her life.<\/p>\n Samantha Lin, a friend of the Orozco family, said Conkling was a student at Pleasant Grove High School. Ariyonna Orozco, who previously attended Pleasant Grove, was attending River Valley High School in Yuba City, Lin said.<\/p>\n Students gathered Monday at the entrance to Pleasant Grove High School to leave flowers and pay their respects. Signs read \u201cForever in our hearts\u201d and \u201cOnce an Eagle, always an Eagle,\u201d a reference to the school mascot.<\/p>\n Amanda Summers, a spokesperson for the Yuba City Unified School District, called the crash a \u201ctragedy\u201d and said counseling was being provided to students and staff.<\/p>\n \u201cOur hearts go out to the family and those impacted,\u201d Summers said to The Bee.<\/p>\n Lisa Levasseur, a spokesperson for the Elk Grove Unified School District, said four of the teens were current district students and the fifth was a former student.<\/p>\n The district was providing counseling and other support services at Elk Grove High School, Katherine L. Albiani Middle School and Pleasant Grove High School, Levasseur said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe ask our community to keep the families and loved ones of those affected in their thoughts and to respect their privacy as they grieve,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n A vigil was scheduled for Friday to honor the two girls at a home near North Laguna, according to social media posts<\/a>.<\/p>\n Lin, who was organizing the vigil, said it could be moved to a nearby park because of the \u201cbig outpour of support\u201d from the community.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of Sacramento and Elk Grove, and those different schools will be there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The first emergency alert came at 12:29 a.m. when an iPhone automatically notified first responders of the crash. A nearby resident told dispatchers they heard tires screeching at high speed before the collision, according to the California Highway Patrol. Another caller reported hearing people yelling for help from the burning vehicle.<\/p>\n Passing motorists stopped and helped remove occupants from the vehicle before it became fully engulfed in flames, CHP said.<\/p>\n Orozco and Conkling were pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n Another girl and two boys were also in the vehicle. They were each hospitalized with moderate to major injuries, according to Officer Angie Monroe, a spokesperson for the CHP\u2019s East Sacramento office. All five teenagers were 16 or younger, she said.<\/p>\n Investigators said speed was a factor in the crash. They were still determining whether alcohol or drugs contributed, and the investigation remained ongoing.<\/p>\n The Bee\u2019s Corey Schmidt contributed to this story.<\/p>\n This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 4:05 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n Reeti Malhotra<\/a><\/p>\n The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n Reeti Malhotra is a 2026 summer reporting intern for The Sacramento Bee.\n <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img-26-05-19-7ADBE.jpg\" "\\"img-26-05-19-7ADBE.jpg\\"")
The two high school students killed in a fiery crash in southeast Sacramento County Sunday have been identified by family and friends on social media as Ariyonna Orozco, 16, and Piper Conkling, 14. A vigil is planned for Friday in remembrance of the two girls. Facebook <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SAC_2354_261905_JV_Accident_RM.jpg\" "\\"SAC_2354_261905_JV_Accident_RM.jpg\\"")
A memorial to high school students Ariyonna Orozco, 16, and Piper Conkling, 14, stands on Scott Road near Rancho Murieta on Tuesday. JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SAC_2296_261905_JV_Accident_RM.JPG\" "\\"SAC_2296_261905_JV_Accident_RM.JPG\\"")
A vehicle drives past a memorial to high school students Ariyonna Orozco, 16, and Piper Conkling, 14, on Scott Road near Rancho Murieta on Tuesday. The teens died after their vehicle crashed into a tree and caught fire days before. Investigators said speed was a factor in the crash. JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
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