Two weeks after the tireless search for the two missing teens had commenced, junior Rachel Smith and graduate Rachel Crites were found dead in the Crites’s family car on Friday, February 2 in Loudoun County, Virginia.

On Monday, February 5, the Virginia medical examiner’s office concluded that the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. Investigators found that the keys were in the “on” position, but the car had run out of gas.

Loudoun County Sheriff’s spokesman Kraig Troxell said, “Although the case remains an active investigation, it appears the two teens took their own lives.”

Shortly after school began on February 5, Principal Dr. Michael Doran addressed the student body regarding the terrible tragedy.

In his speech, Doran said, “Wootton students are caring and I know that you will help each other get through this terrible time. We all respond to grief in different ways.”

Later that night, a candlelight vigil took place at Wootton in remembrance of the girls. In single-digit temperatures, students, teachers, and administrators all gathered to sing songs and wave their lights.

Shortly after Crites and Smith disappeared on January 19, junior Taren Parsons, a close friend of Rachel Smith, created a group on Facebook.com titled “We miss you Rachels.” This group served as a forum for friends, family, and others to express their emotions as the community searched for the girls.

On January 18, Smith had been given permission by her parents to stay at Crites’s house for the night.

The next night, they told their parents that they were going to see a movie in Georgetown.

When Rachel Smith did not return home, the Smith family called the police, beginning the two-week search for the girls. “We miss you Rachels” currently has 1,464 members – a number that has rapidly increased since the girls’ disappearance.

“Once they found the [girls], the group was for people who wanted to post their feelings and share their remembrance,” Parsons said.

Parsons, like many of her close friends, were shocked when the girls went missing, and had never noticed any serious signs of depression.

Parsons said, “It never occurred to me that this would happen now…we would always talk about the future. Rachel Smith wanted to be a veterinarian, and Rachel Crites was studying to be a nurse.”

Junior Jake Kresloff, another close friend to Rachel Smith, agreed and said, “I hadn’t seen any signs of depression. It stung.”

On Tuesday, February 6, members of Wootton’s Gay-Straight Alliance met to discuss suicide and depression rates in homosexual teenagers and to share their feelings about the tragedy.

Mrs. Theresa Duarte, a sponsor of the Gay-Straight Alliance, said, “Any student that wanted to share their feelings could talk.”

Doran, counselors Lynn Goodman and Nancy Rossini, and several peer counselors all attended the meeting as well.

Memorial services for Smith were held on February 7 at Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Potomac, and Crites’ memorial services were held on February 10 at St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Gaithersburg.

On Sunday, February 18, starting at 11:30 a.m. in Hadley’s Park, a dog walk was also organized in Smith’s honor.

The walk was also directed towards raising money for the Humane Society, an organization that promotes the protection of animals, and a cause Smith was very passionate about.

Doran also released the following statement, urging the community to celebrate the girls’ lives: “Rachel Smith was passionate about academics and animals...Rachel Crites was a very thoughtful young woman who cared deeply about her friends. Some of her friends at Wootton described her as a beautiful person who made them smile and whose laughter was contagious.”

The parents of both girls are asking for memorial contributions in both their names to be made to separate organizations. Contributions in the memory of Crites can be made to the following:

Montgomery County Crisis Center 1301 Piccard Dr.Rockville, Md. 20850.

Contributions in the memory of Smith can be made to the following:

Congregation B’nai Tzedek Eternal Light Fund10621 South Glen Rd.Potomac, Md. 20854.