ROXBORO — A woman and her dog drowned when the car she was driving went off a bridge over Hyco Lake. Durham County deputies joined with the Person County Sheriff's department in the Friday afternoon search.

Witnesses say the 1994 Lincoln Town Car went into the lake Friday at about 12:15 p.m. The vehicle was recovered about 5:30 p.m. Authorities said inside they found the body of Amine Clark Crumpton, 63, of 149 Banbury Drive in Roxboro.

Witnesses said the car shot off the lake's causeway without braking.

Two Creedmoor men swam to the car while it was still afloat, and said the woman locked the car doors, told the men to leave and then apparently popped the trunk open, using an automatic control.

A rescuer said there was no obvious reason for the car to go into the lake. The car sank in about 35 feet of water.

Hyco Lake is about 9 miles north of Roxboro off Highway 57. The two would-be rescuers were able to return to shore without injury.