Police Recovers 2 Bodies In Philadelphia River; Reportedly Drug-Related Murder

The Philadelphia police recovered two bodies in the Schuylkill River in Fairmont Park. The authorities said that the killings may be drug or gang-related but are continuing their investigations.

Last Wednesday at around 4 am, the police recovered two men dead, bound and weighted down with improvised anchors and their throats slit in the Philadelphia River. A third victim was also found badly wounded and was also thrown in the river but managed to swim ashore, according to the authorities.

The authorities said that the two bodies found in the river may be drug-related abductions and killings but may be as well gang-related.

The police said that the two bodies in the river were recovered after the surviving victim, a 23-year old man, was seen wandering down the street along the 2300 block of Kelly Drive, in his underwear, soaked and screaming with his hands and feet still bound and with multiple stab wounds in his torso and legs. The victim also told the police that he was not anchored but blindfolded and stayed afloat until his abductors drove away, he swam ashore.

Police Captain Jack Clark told through a statement found on ABC News that there is a drug connection at the root of the killings and that it's one of the more barbaric murders he had seen.  He also said that the survivor was not robbed and that the three men were abducted together prior to the initial reports that have been released saying the survivor was abducted alone and was robbed.

Police Captain James Clark also added that the surviving victim was being treated at Hahnemann University Hospital and is in critical condition. According to the statement issued by Chief Inspector Scott Small, the two bodies recovered in the river were duct-taped in their wrists, ankles and around their faces about five feet from retaining wall along the river in five to ten feet of water.

Several police and marine units were on the scene however, the authorities would not disclose the location where the victims were abducted and hoped to use surveillance video from the location to identify the abductors. Investigators said that the victims were targeted by five to six suspects and that they were also searching for a motive for the violent abduction.

The authorities were conducting autopsies to determine if the two bodies found in the river were already dead when they were thrown in the water as well as to confirm the identities of the victims.

Boaters and runners usually inhabit the place where the two bodies were found in the river because it is a popular recreation area.

Real Time Analytics