Two people were killed early this (Thursday) morning in a motorcycle crash just north of Des Moines. The Polk County Sheriff’s office says deputies were dispatched to the roadway on top of the Saylorville Lake Dam about one A.M. to investigate the crash.

Deputies say it appears the motorcycle driver was speeding and failed to make a curve at the west end of the dam, hit a guard rail and launched himself and his passenger onto the rocks. Both were pronounced dead at the scene. Neither were wearing helmets.

The victims are 25-year-old Mark Dyer Junior of Des Moines and 18-year-old Ashley Delude of Berwick. They mark the fifth and sixth motorcycle deaths in the Des Moines area in less than a month, and at least 15 statewide this year.