A Myrtle Creek man and a Dillard woman were found dead today in Cow Creek after their vehicle was discovered submerged near Lower Cow Creek Road outside of Riddle.

Bobby Joe Carpenter, 24, and Reannon Rae Brimhall, 27, were both found dead at the scene and were identified by relatives there, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office.

The submerged blue vehicle was discovered by Bureau of Land Management workers, who were driving in the 3500 block of Lower Cow Creek Road around 8:30 this morning when they came to a curve and noticed tire tracks in the dirt going off the road toward Cow Creek, according to the Sheriff's Office.

They reportedly had been at the same spot the day before around 3 p.m. and had not seen the tracks, so they stopped, peered over the bank and saw the vehicle. After reporting their find to their BLM office, the county's emergency dispatch center was notified.

Deputies arrived around 9 a.m. and determined the vehicle was upside down about 200 feet down the embankment. The 1985 Buick LaSabre Coupe was three-quarters of the way submerged with the passenger compartment totally under water. Riddle Fire Department rescuers stretched a ladder down the bank to the vehicle to see if anyone was inside, but they couldn't tell, so Bill's Towing was called upon to pull the vehicle from the water. At that time, deputies found Brimhall's body draped between the front seats, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Investigators learned there may have been a second person in the vehicle, so deputies, detectives and an Oregon State Police trooper began walking the banks of the river in search of Carpenter. The trooper found him hung up on a rock 6 feet under water about 75 yards downstream and 150 feet out in the water.

His body was recovered by members of the South County Water Rescue team comprised of divers from Myrtle Creek, Tri City, South Umpqua and Riddle Fire departments.

Carpenter's and Brimhall's bodies were taken by the Douglas County Medical Examiner pending autopsy results. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.