Two Area Teens Die in Accident

By Kevin Hardy – The Hutchinson News Brothers and Fairfield students found in vehicle in creek bed Thursday evening. CASTLETON – Two Reno County teenage brothers died Thursday from injuries sustained in an early morning auto accident, though their bodies weren’t found until after relatives discovered the boys were missing Thursday evening. The brothers, Anthony Armstrong, 13, and Tyler Armstrong, 17, were due to meet their mother at 5 p.m. in Hutchinson but never arrived, said Reno County Sheriff Randy Henderson. The boys’ mother, Carol Armstrong, called Fairfield School to see if they had stayed late and was notified they had never made it to school Thursday morning. The boys left for school at 7:15 a.m., Henderson said. After the mother discovered the teens missing, relatives began to search along their normal route to school. Henderson said a male relative, either the father or a cousin, discovered the boys’ bodies at about 6 p.m. in Tyler’s 1997 Ford Mustang, which was turned upside down in the bed of Red Rock Creek. Both brothers were wearing seat belts. The accident occurred about 18 miles east of the USD 310 Fairfield campus, located just north of Langdon. The Mustang was found about 20 feet west of Whiteside Road, just north of the intersection of West Arlington Road near the small town of Castleton. Henderson said the boys lived near that area. The car was apparently traveling south on Whiteside and swerved off the roadway into the creek bed. Henderson said though no cause has yet been determined, authorities continue to investigate. No other vehicles appear to have been involved. “There was no apparent reason for the car to go off the approach to the bridge,” Henderson said. “This area is heavily populated with deer, which could be a reason the boys left the road, but that is not known for sure.” A large crane lifted the car from the creek back onto the roadway Thursday evening and the victims’ bodies were retrieved from the vehicle just after 8 p.m. The bodies were transported to the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center in Wichita for autopsies. More than a dozen officers worked the scene into the evening Thursday. Sheriff’s deputies were assisted by the Hutchinson Police Department in reconstructing the accident. Fairfield superintendent and high school principal Mary Treaster said a team of counselors will be on hand at the school today to help support students and faculty. “We all knew them,” she said. “They were great kids.” The News’ Kristen Roderick contributed to this story.