Two bodies have been found in the Ohio River within 14 hours of each other.
The first corpse was discovered near the Purple People Bridge by boaters on Friday evening, prompting an immediate police investigation. Just a few hours later on Saturday morning, police were called back after a second body was found near Brent Spence Bridge.
Both of the bodies remain unidentified. Investigative responsibilities have been split between Newport police and Cincinnati police, though both forces are working closely together on the cases.
“Nothing has been ruled out,” Newport Police Captain Kevin Drohan told WLKY News. “We’re still looking at all angles. We do treat it much like a homicide, where, you know, that’s how we start off the investigation.”
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Newport Police also confirmed that the bodies were undergoing autopsies at the coroner’s office “to look for any signs of foul play or any possible injuries that they may have internally that can’t be physically seen.”
Newsweek contacted the Campbell County coroner’s office and the Newport and Cincinnati police for more information about the investigations.
The area the bodies were found in covers the border between Ohio and Kentucky, meaning two different police forces are responsible for managing the case.
According to WLWT News, both police forces have brought in homicide investigators for the cases.
Fingerprint information has been taken from the bodies, and they are being compared to missing persons files. The first body is being processed at the Campbell County coroner’s office, while the second is at the Hamilton County coroner. The coroners’ reports have not yet been concluded.
Boone County Water Rescue Sergeant Donny Schuckmann said they were confident the bodies were dead at least 24 hours before being found, telling Local 12 News: “We’re pretty certain they were on the bottom of the river, and with the events going on along the river, the current and turbulence from the boats brought them up to the surface.
“Through the summer months, we were probably diving once a week, it seemed like, to do recoveries of vehicles that went into the water, drowning victims and that. This year, it’s been slow, so it’s catching up to us now.”
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