Three athletes are among the six young adults who were killed in a crash in Barrie, Ont., over the weekend.
Police have said four men and two women who were reported missing on Saturday are believed to be six people found dead in a crash early Sunday.
In a social media post that has since been replaced with a post about the crash, Barrie police identified the missing young people as Curtis King, 22, River Wells 23, Jason O’Connor, 22, Luke West, 22, Jersey Mitchell and Haley Marin.
Simcoe County Football said King and Wells were beloved former athletes.
“Today marked a sad day for many in the Simcoe County Community,” it wrote in a social media post.
“We not only remember these great athletes for what they did on the field but remember the great people they were in life.”
The Barrie Minor Lacrosse Association and the Bombers Jr C. Lacrosse Club said they were devastated by the death of West, who was a player and a coach.
“Westy - the impact that you had on your teammates, coaches, and the young men you coached is immeasurable,” the organizations wrote in an online post.
“Few have ever worked harder in Bomber Blue, few can claim to have lifted us so high. We love you, we miss you, and we are grateful for the time that we had with you.”
The crash had not been reported to police when officers came across the scene at McKay Road and County Road 27, near Barrie’s southwest border, around 2 a.m. on Saturday, police said.
The City of Barrie said the area is currently the site of a municipal construction project and the intersection has been closed since the spring.
“The road has been fully closed and signed accordingly for many months,” chief administrative office Michael Prowse wrote in a statement.
Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman has called what happened a “shocking and horrible tragedy.”
“As a parent myself this is the worst nightmare,” he wrote in social media posts on Sunday. “The six families in our city who are devastated this morning need all our compassion and support.”
