UPDATED: Details Emerge About Woman Killed In Harper Crash

UPDATED 3:51 p.m.:

The Cook County Medical Examiner's office has confirmed  Victoria Auer's cause of death to be drowning and accidental.

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Police are still investigating how a car became submerged in a pond at Harper College as details about the woman who died in the incident come to light.

The Cook County Medical Examiner has identified the woman as Victoria Auer, 64, of Rolling Meadows. The roof of Auer’s gray Saturn was seen floating in the pond shortly before noon Thursday by a Harper student. Auer had taken continuing education classes at Harper in 1997 and 1998, however officials have not given a reason for why she might have been on campus Thursday.

Auer worked at Oreck Clean Home Center in Schaumburg.

An employee at Oreck said Auer had been scheduled to work at 10 a.m. Thursday but had not shown up. The store employee had been trying to get in touch with Auer.

Auer was excited on Wednesday because her daughter and granddaughter were flying into Chicago Friday, the employee said.

Janice Koontz, a friend of Auer, said she had known her for about 15 years. Koontz, of Elgin, said Auer would organize trips to the Marriott Theatre.

“It was an informal girls group that would get together,” Koontz said.

Koontz said Auer took over organizing the outings after another person in the group became ill. Auer had children who lived out of state, Koontz said.

“She was very nice,” Koontz said. “She loved her family very much. She cared about them a lot.”

Harper Communications Chief Phil Burdick said there is an ongoing joint investigation by the Harper College police, Palatine Police and Cook County Medical Examiner's office.

The college was on spring break at the time of the incident.

Auer’s car was pulled from the pond about 3:05 p.m. Burdick said the pond was located on the north side of Harper's campus, near Roselle Road and Euclid Avenue.

The vehicle was found near building W of the campus, close to parking lot 13.

Burdick said the student who first saw the car contacted campus police who called the Palatine Fire Department. Palatine Deputy Fire Chief Scott Andersen said dive teams were dispatched to the scene.

The Palatine Fire Department received the call  about 12:07 p.m.  The dive team was in the water by about 12:26 p.m., fire officials said. The department removed Auer from the vehicle then searched the pond to make sure there were not additional victims, a press release from the fire department states.

Divers from Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Mount Prospect and Schaumburg assisted.

Auer was taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.