A California priest and his friend found dead in a car off Highway 26 after missing for two weeks died just one minute or less after the crash, the medical examiner said Tuesday.

Autopsy results showed Fr. David Schwartz and Cheryl Gibbs suffered severe chest trauma after their car tumbled down an embankment off the highway. It appears that help could not have arrived in time even under the best circumstances, the medical examiner's findings indicated.

More: Medical Examiner: Priest, friend died before 911 call

The news could bring some relief to the families of Schwartz and Gibbs; relatives said earlier in the day that they will press for further investigation following police information that a driver witnessed the car plunge into a ravine, then reported the crash and detailed location information to 9-1-1 dispatchers but authorities couldn't find the car and called off the search.

Schwartz and Gibbs were last seen alive on June 8. Earlier that morning, they had asked for directions back to Portland while visiting a winery in Nehalem.

 Audio: 9-1-1 call: Eyewitness describes crash

Also: Transcript of 911 call

That 9-1-1 call came in at 4:10 p.m. on June 8.

Meanwhile, in the hours since KGW first reported that there was a witness to the crash who called 9-1-1, questions have surfaced about why that witness did not stay at the scene.

 Details: Police seek witness who reported crash

But police investigating the official response to the report said the man made a "model [9-1-1] call."

Confusion delayed 9-1-1 response

Family members have also questioned whether their loved ones' lives could have been saved.

Schwartz's brother, Tom Mulligan, said Tuesday they planned to talk to Portland Police, who were in charge of the missing person's investigation.

"People worked really hard on this case, but I really believe there was lack of direction," he said.

Mulligan did say the family had reason to believe that the pastor was still alive for a short time after the crash. Mulligan can't believe authorities couldn't locate the car.

"I'm just shocked," said Mulligan.

"It would have to be negligence...the car was definitely easily visible from the shoulder of the road," said Mulligan. "There's absolutely no reason why, if you had mile post 26 and a credible report and detail of a car going off the road, being out of sight - it would have to be negligence."

Mulligan said in this case police knew where to look, but failed to do so.

The dispatcher who received the 9-1-1 call was new to the job, and had some difficulty determining the correct jurisdiction to notify for the response, according to police.

According to police records obtained by KGW, medical and fire personnel were sent to the scene about five minutes later and a LifeFlight helicopter was put on standby. The Washington County Sheriff's Office was also notified and in turn, alerted Oregon State Police.

 Poll: Who was responsible for failed response?

 Complete timeline: From Day 1

 Timeline: 9-1-1 call and response

About 20 minutes later, Oregon State Police reported that they could not find a crashed car and cleared the scene. Another agency stayed and searched about 20 minutes longer until they eventually gave up as well.

The bodies of Schwartz and Gibbs were were eventually found inside the smashed vehicle late Sunday, July 30th after a plane spotted the maroon Toyota Corolla from overhead.

 Video: Video: Bodies found by Civil Air Patrol

 Raw: Sky-8 view of search area

The car had careened about 20 feet down a ravine near where Highway 26 intersects with Highway 53 in Clatsop County, said Deputy Don Taylor with the Tillamook County Sheriff's Office.

Police say the vehicle apparently was headed eastbound on Highway 26 near milepost 26 when, for an unknown reason, it went across the centerline and then down the steep embankment.

Slideshow: Crash Scene

The car was resting on its wheels and had front-end damage. There were no skid marks on the road.

Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin said it did not look like Schwartz or Gibbs were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash.

More: Priest, friend found dead in car

State Police to conduct internal investigation

State police say they are conducting an internal investigation into the response the 9-1-1 call. According to Lt. Greg Hastings with the Oregon State Police, a state trooper was first to arrive at the scene and drove slowly between milepost 25 and 27, checking both sides of the highway, making three passes through the two mile stretch without spotting any evidence of the crash.

More: OSP investigates response to 911 call

State police are also hoping to locate the man who made the 9-1-1 call. The man provided the dispatcher with a name and phone number but a woman answered the phone and said no one with the provided name lived there.