2 bodies in river - Two brutally killed men were found in a river on Wednesday, Aug. 27, while another severely injured victim managed to survive. Authorities currently believe that the killing of the 2 bodies in the river is possibly drug-related.
According to ABC News, the 2 bodies in the river showed signs of brutal doings: they were bound and weighted down with makeshift anchors to ensure that they will not float onto the surface. The throats of the men appear to have been severed.
Authorities said they only found out about the 2 bodies in the river when the third victim of the alleged drug-related abduction and slaying managed to survive the brutal incident by swimming ashore despite his multiple stab wounds.
The surviving victim was reportedly spotted wandering the streets in his underwear, with his hands and feet still bound. He was soaked and screaming according to the police officers who found him.
In his statement to the police, the third victim said it was very fortunate that he was not anchored unlike the two bodies in the river. He said that he pretended to play dead by staying afloat until their abductors drove away, then he did everything in his power to swim ashore in spite of his serious injuries.
All three victims were said to have been abducted together the night before and were thrown in a van by a group of five to six suspects.
"There is a drug nexus at the root of this," police Capt. James Clark said, adding that the 2 bodies in the river were immediately identified.
Clark mentioned that all three victims had been tortured since the 2 bodies retrieved from the Schuylkill River also have multiple wounds. "It's one of the more barbaric murders that I've seen," he added.
In an initial statement, police revealed that the surviving victim claimed that he had been robbed and was alone when he was abducted by the unknown suspects.
However, Clark clarified that the initial statement was a mistake; all three victims were together when they were taken against their will by the suspects.
Clark declined to explain why police changed the accounts on the brutal case.
The surviving victim, who was identified to be a 23-year-old, is currently recuperating at a hospital, reported Fox News.
"At this point, the only motive we have for the abduction and stabbing of our 20-year-old victim who's alive is robbery," Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
"He claims when he was thrown in the back of the van and tied up and stabbed he was robbed of an undisclosed amount of money. He further states that the two other victims were already in the back of the van - he was not with the two other victims - so we don't know if the two other victims were related to the robbery," Small added.
In a detailed description of the recovered 2 bodies in the river, both were found with their wrists and ankles duct taped. Their faces were also duct taped.
Autopsies are currently being conducted to confirm their identities and find out whether both men were already dead before they were thrown in to the river.
