Two found dead in submerged car

Two Newberg men were found dead Tuesday, Nov. 26, in a car that was recovered from the Willamette River at Rogers Landing, according to Newberg-Dundee police.

The bodies of Benigno Hermenegildo-Pascuala, 40, and Eufracio Lopez de Jesus, 39, were recovered after mobile device data and video surveillance led NDPD investigators to the county park in south Newberg.

Police noticed an oil sheen on the water in front of the boat ramp. Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue was called in; its officers used an underwater camera to locate Hermenegildo-Pascuala’s vehicle in the water.

The Lake Oswego Fire Department dive team assisted in recovering the vehicle, and the bodies of both Hermenegildo-Pascuala and Lopez de Jesus were found inside.

Both men had been reported missing by their families on Nov. 25. Witnesses had told police the men were in a heated argument on the evening of Nov. 24, the last time they were seen.

Police said they don’t yet know why the vehicle was driven into the water, or what led to the event.