A South Bend woman died in a car crash on Friday evening on U.S. Highway 101 north of Butte Creek Road, just north of Raymond.

Tracey I. Koonrad, 38, was initially reported missing Friday evening, along with her two children, aged 11 and 9, by her husband, said Cmdr. Mike Parker of the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office.

“The husband called in a missing person report,” Parker said in a phone interview. “His wife was overdue from coming home. The sheriff’s office initiated search.”

The sheriff’s office requested assistance from other local agencies, including drone support, in finding the vehicle. Two officers from the South Bend Police Department and three officers from the Raymond Police Department undertook a massive search for the vehicle. Shoalwater Bay Police Department assisted with the drone.

“The vehicle was located close to midnight,” Parker said. “Three occupants were in the vehicle, the mother and two children. The mother was deceased at the time she was located.”

The children were alive when the vehicle was located, Parker said. Both children were transported to Harbor Regional Health in Aberdeen and then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The children were in critical condition in the intensive care unit at the Harborview trauma center in Seattle as of 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 23. According to an update from the Washington State Patrol, the children were transferred from the emergency room to the ICU. The girl has undergone surgery.

The vehicle was traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 101 before crossing the northbound lanes, entering a ditch and striking a tree, according to the incident report from the Washington State Patrol.

Washington State Patrol is investigating the crash, said Trooper Josh Magerstaedt in a phone interview.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family,” Parker said. “That is absolutely horrific.”

Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com. The Chinook Observer contributed to this report.