Couple killed when BMW careened off cliff near DuPont have been identified

A couple who died Tuesday after their SUV careened off the road and went over a cliff near DuPont have been identified.

Gary Duke, 78, was driving a 2014 BMW in the 19900 block of Nisqually Road Southwest when he apparently suffered a medical emergency.

Using the car’s emergency road assistance service, Duke and his wife, Mary, were able to request help around 12:25 p.m.

Moments later, the system notified BMW that the SUV’s airbags had deployed.

Pierce County sheriff’s deputies responded to the area and spotted wreckage several hundred feet below the road.

The BMW struck a tree at the bottom of the hill.

Gary and Mary Duke, 77, were pronounced dead at the scene. The couple lived in Kent.

Investigators are looking into the crash, and sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said there were no skid marks or other indications that Duke attempted to slow before veering off the road.

This story was originally published April 10, 2019 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Couple killed when BMW careened off cliff near DuPont have been identified."