Two Johnson County sisters were killed in a one-car crash on Interstate 35 in Osage County Wednesday night.


The Kansas Highway Patrol said the 18-year-old driver, Terra R. Lopez, and 16-year-old Desirae Lopez died when their northbound car crashed on the interstate near Williamsburg, about 50 miles southwest of Olathe.


Troopers said the sisters' 1999 Chevrolet went out of control, slammed into a guardrail, went down an embankment and rolled.


The patrol said the driver was wearing a seat belt but the passenger was not.


The girls' father, John Lopez, said they were on their way back from visiting relatives in Wichita. He said he doesn't know why Terra lost control.

John Lopez said he hadn't been able to reach the girls on their cell phone.

"Between 9 and 10 p.m., I probably called five or six times," the father said.

When he returned home, he heard the terrible news.

"I came to the house, my son was crying and so his girlfriend, so I knew something was wrong," John Lopez said.

Relatives in Wichita were also worried about the girls.

"She usually calls to say, 'OK, we made it.' There was no call," relative Jewel Smith said.

"They were good kids. I only had them a short time. I know 18 years doesn't sound short, but it was," John Lopez said.

14-Year-Old Daughter Is Missing

Lopez said the deaths come at a particularly difficult time because his 14-year-old daughter has been missing since September. He said Marissa Lopez is believed to have run away with her boyfriend and may be in Mexico.

All three girls attended Shawnee Mission East High School.

"We walked the halls with them, sat in the same classes with them. It's weird to know these people died," another student said.

"What made it worse today is that it was both of them and their sister is missing. I just feel bad for the entire family," one Shawnee Mission East student said.

John Lopez pleaded for his 14-year-old daughter to come back home.

"I'm not mad at her -- right now she needs to come home. We need her home now more than ever," John Lopez said.

"Were hoping Marissa sees this and contacts someone and comes home," Smith said.

The Lopez family is also dealing with the illness of the girls' grandmother, who is hospitalized with serious health problems.

Friends said the grandmother was heartbroken when Marissa ran away in September, and that the news of Terra and Desirae's death will be difficult to handle.

"It's devastating. I'm just worried it's going to keep her in the hospital longer," friend Mary Sprague said. "That's like ripping your heart out and showing it to you."

The Lopez girls worked at the Village Inn on Mission Road. Friends at the restaurant are working on a memorial fund.

A funeral for Terra and Desirae will be held Wednesday.