Victims of fatal crash identified

Kansas City, Kan., police today identified two victims of a fatal crash on Jan. 15 at 55th and Freeman Avenue.

The victims were identified as Erica L. Cortez, 47, and Howard C. Levite, 65, both residents of Leavenworth, Kan., police said.

The two persons were deceased from injuries sustained in the crash, which happened around 12:51 a.m., according to police.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the victims were traveling southbound on 55th Street at a high rate of speed, police said.

The vehicle left the roadway, hit a tree stump and caught fire, resulting in the single-vehicle fatality crash, according to police.

The crash remains under investigation by the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department’s Traffic Support Unit-Critical Collision Team.