Bodies of missing students discovered in pond

Nov. 3: The search for three young college students who disappeared Sunday in southwestern North Dakota ended tragically Tuesday when police found all three drowned women still in their Jeep. NBC's John Yang reports.

>>> 17 1/2.

>>> they were three young women out for a drive this past sunday night in dickinson, north dakota . college students, teammates on the softball team. some time that night, we're told, they made two frantic calls for help and then nothing, not a sign of them for days. our own john yang has the latest tonight from just outside nearby bismarck, north dakota . john, good evening.

>> reporter: good evening, brian. authorities say they have no idea what kind of trouble these young women got into when they called for help. all they know is there hasn't been a trace of them for two days. late sunday night two brief, scratchy panicked cell phone calls for help from three college students to a friend. then the line went dead.

>> she got the call. they were talking something about water and there was some hysterical noises in the background.

>> reporter: authorities immediately launched a search for ashley newfeld, kir steen gamar and williamson, all in their early 20s, all members of the dickinson state softball team. a reverse 911 call was broadcast to 7,000 area residents' phones.

>> please stay on the lookout for a white 1997 jeep cherokee with california plates 3ubn 521. the vehicle has possibly three female occupants. please check areas around water, dams, lakes and rivers.

>> reporter: in a telephone interview, kirsten gammar's father said the teammates often went stargazing.

>> they would just lay out on the hood of the car and talk and enjoy the solitude. it wasn't uncharacteristic for them to go out and do that.

>> reporter: at the young woman 's college, a prayer vigil as their family and friends wait, hope and pray.

>> they're top-notch kids. the first thing that goes through your mind is disbelief, you know. you don't believe something like that would ever happen, especially to -- to kids that you have grown to be close to for three years.

>> if anyone's going to bring them out of it, it's god. that's it.

>> reporter: authorities say they don't suspect foul play but because they know so little about the circumstances of their disappearance, they say they can't rule it out. brian?

>> john yang outside bismarck tonight on this ongoing story. john, thanks.