Family, friends identify 2 teenage girls killed in fiery Sacramento County crash
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.
Social media posts identified the victims as Ariyonna Orozco, 16, and Piper Conkling, 14. Neither law enforcement nor the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office has officially identified them as of Tuesday afternoon.
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. The 16-year-old driver was traveling with Conkling and another girl and two boys at the time of the crash, according to authorities.
Jennifer Orozco identified Ari, her daughter, as one of the victims in a Facebook post.
“Long live my baby,” she wrote in a Facebook post Sunday. “I am so lost knowing this happened.”
Orozco’s cousin, Sophia Orozco, posted a similar tribute on Instagram.
“Ariyonna Orozco, heaven gained the sweetest angel today. I will forever be grateful for capturing our last memories together,” she wrote. “I will always cherish our last hug & ‘I love you.’ Rest in peace baby cousin.”
PJ Moeckly, a friend of Conkling’s, posted a tribute to her Instagram page on Sunday, describing Piper as her “beautiful best friend” and “one of the most important highlights” of her life.
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.
Students gathered Monday at the entrance to Pleasant Grove High School to leave flowers and pay their respects. Signs read “Forever in our hearts” and “Once an Eagle, always an Eagle,” a reference to the school mascot.
Amanda Summers, a spokesperson for the Yuba City Unified School District, called the crash a “tragedy” and said counseling was being provided to students and staff.
“Our hearts go out to the family and those impacted,” Summers said to The Bee.
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.
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.
“We ask our community to keep the families and loved ones of those affected in their thoughts and to respect their privacy as they grieve,” she said.
A vigil was scheduled for Friday to honor the two girls at a home near North Laguna, according to social media posts.
Lin, who was organizing the vigil, said it could be moved to a nearby park because of the “big outpour of support” from the community.
“All of Sacramento and Elk Grove, and those different schools will be there,” she said.
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.
Passing motorists stopped and helped remove occupants from the vehicle before it became fully engulfed in flames, CHP said.
Orozco and Conkling were pronounced dead at the scene.
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’s East Sacramento office. All five teenagers were 16 or younger, she said.
Investigators said speed was a factor in the crash. They were still determining whether alcohol or drugs contributed, and the investigation remained ongoing.
The Bee’s Corey Schmidt contributed to this story.
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 4:05 PM.
