Police in Georgia said that the two half-sisters who were found dead Wednesday beneath a highway may have been thrown off a bridge. The women — Truvenia Clarece Campbell, 30, and Vanita Richardson, 19 — were found beneath Etowah Bridge in Rome, Georgia, by state transportation workers who were performing routine bridge maintenance.

According to early police scanner traffic picked up by the Rome News-Tribune, the women were found with bags over their heads, and shotgun shells littered around them. Officials, however, have not confirmed these details.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation ruled their deaths a homicide. Officials said Friday that they are searching for the gold 1997 Toyota Corolla that the sisters were known to be traveling in the night before they were found. The Georgia license plate is “RTJ6295.”

“We’ve been called to assist on the investigation into two bodies that were found just over the bridge here that were apparently dropped over the bridge,” GBI Special Agent Brian Johnston told the News-Tribune.

“My world is gone,” Vanita Allen, Richardson’s mother, told Atlanta's ABC affiliate, WSB-TV. “... I can’t believe what they did to my baby ... she wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

Richardson attended Armuchee High School. The school issued a statement about her passing and has offered grief counseling for its students.

“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the news of the death of one of our students, Vanita Richardson who was scheduled to graduate next Saturday,” Floyd County Schools spokeswoman Lenora Doss said. “We extend our deepest sympathies to the Armuchee Community and her friends and family at this time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. Vanita will be remembered for being a fun-loving, humble, and motivated student who was making strong plans for her future.”

Officials ask anyone with information about the case to contact the GBI at (800) 597-8477.

The city of Rome has a population of about 36,000. It is located about 70 miles northwest of Atlanta.

Crime Scene
Representation. Stacy Revere/Getty Images
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