The bodies of two missing mothers were found inside a submerged Jeep that had plunged down an embankment and fallen about 70 feet into the St. Joseph River in Niles, Michigan, authorities said.
Vanessa Bautista, 24, and Alexa Navarro, 23, both from South Bend, Indiana, were discovered Tuesday night after the damaged vehicle was recovered from the river, about 11 miles north of their hometown. Their identities were confirmed by the Western Michigan University Office of the Medical Examiner on Thursday, although an official cause of death has not yet been determined.
Niles Police Chief James Millin said the vehicle is believed to have gone over the embankment around 4 a.m. Sunday, the same day the women were reported missing. Police are pursuing all leads, but investigators said there currently appears to be no evidence that outside forces caused the vehicle to leave the road.
Millin said authorities are also investigating statements that someone may have been chasing one of the women, although he noted that there currently do not appear to be signs that the Jeep was pushed off the road. Autopsy and toxicology results could take several weeks.
