Two bodies were discovered Wednesday in a wooded area in Eden, but police stopped short of identifying the bodies as those of two Massachusetts men who went missing earlier this month under what police described as “suspicious circumstances.”
Vermont State Police Maj. Dan Trudeau, speaking to reporters at a press briefing late Wednesday afternoon outside the Morristown Police Department, said he could not speculate about the identities of the remains that were found.
“Right now we’re not able to make any identifications or any assumptions really,” Trudeau said, later adding, “I can say based on the investigation so far we are treating it as a homicide.”
Trudeau said the bodies would be taken to the Vermont Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for autopsies, which are expected to take place Thursday. At that point, Trudeau said, the identities as well as the cause and manner of deaths could be determined.
Jahim Solomon, 21, of Pittsfield, and Eric White, 21, of Chicopee, were reported missing by their families on Oct. 15, with reports made to both the Stowe Police Department and the Vermont State Police. The families reported the two men had been traveling together in the areas around Burlington, Lowell, Morrisville and Stowe.
In a press release Saturday, state police stated the two men disappeared under “suspicious circumstances” but declined to elaborate.
Asked if police have determined why Solomon and White were in Vermont, Trudeau replied Wednesday, “That’s part of the investigation. I can’t reveal the details of that.”
As part of the investigation into the two missing men, Trudeau said, police and other law enforcement officials were led to the remote wooded area in Eden where the bodies were discovered off the Albany-Eden Road.
On Tuesday afternoon, according to police, a game warden with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife located evidence that seemed to be “suspicious” and troopers secured the scene overnight. On Wednesday morning, police said, investigators found the remains of one person and, that afternoon, detectives located a second body about a mile north of the first.
In addition to state police, agencies assisting in the investigation include the Morristown Police Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Members of the state police crime scene search unit were at the two scenes Wednesday processing the areas for evidence, according to Trudeau. He said they were both pretty remote areas with no houses nearby to canvas and talk to residents about what they might have seen.
Trudeau said no one is in custody related to the investigation. He said police have interviewed several people and are looking to talk to more, though some people have been hard to locate “probably because they either fled or they are just difficult to find.”
He added, “We’re certain this is an isolated incident. It’s just going to be a matter of finding the people that we want to talk to.”
Investigators, he said, “have some suspects in mind,” but he declined to provide additional information on who they might be.
