Two Shawnee Mission South students killed in car wreck in Overland Park
Two Shawnee Mission South High School students are dead and another person was seriously injured after a head-on collision in Overland Park Saturday night.
Jose Placensia Castañeda, 17, was driving southbound on U.S. 69 near 58th Street with Itzel Guerra, 18, in a 2013 Toyota Corolla as a 2015 Kia Optima was traveling north on U.S. 69, according to the Kansas State Highway Patrol.
Highway Patrol said the Corolla crossed the raised median, entering the northbound lane, and the two vehicles collided head-on.
Castañeda was a junior and Guerra was a senior at Shawnee Mission South, according to David Smith with the Shawnee Mission School District. The pair were driving home from prom when they were killed in the collision, according to a fundraiser posted online.
Officials say neither were wearing seatbelts.
A GoFundMe has been created by Castañeda’s older brother, Raul Placensia, to help pay for medical expenses and funeral costs. Placensia said that he and his brother were often mistaken as twins growing up, and remembered his brother all full of light-hearted mischief, and someone who was always ready to make you laugh.
A family friend, Aubree Kelly, who created a spotfund post for Guerra, said she was going to graduate in less than a month and was full of life.
“She had the best sense of humor and will be deeply missed,” Kelly said in a spotfund post.
The driver in the Optima sustained serious injuries and was transported to KU Medical Center, according to the crash report. A passenger in the Optima received minor injuries.
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 12:54 PM.
