CENTRAL - Family and friends say one of four Marines killed in a helicopter crash on the west coast late Tuesday was a former student-athlete in East Baton Rouge.

According to a post from the Central High Football page, Taylor Conrad was a graduating member of the class of 2012 and a former football player.

Conrad and three others were killed in the crash during a training exercise near the US-Mexico border Tuesday. The helicopter was with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing out of Miramar air station in San Diego.

"We ask that you keep these brave service members in your thoughts and prayers," said a Facebook post by the nearby Naval Air Facility El Centro, one of the many agencies that responded to the crash site.

The Marine Corps took custody of the bodies late Tuesday to conduct autopsies, according to ABC News.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.