ST. LOUIS — Police are investigating a possible connection after officers in both St. Louis and St. Louis County found bodies on Tuesday.
The first body was found at around 2 a.m. in St. Louis' Benton Park West neighborhood. Officers responding to the 3200 block of Oregon found the man's burned body in an alleyway and also put out several small fires at the scene.
St. Louis County officers responded at around 2 p.m. to a call for a suspicious death on the 12600 block of Columbia Bottom Road in the Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. They arrived to find a man dead in a grassy area off the roadway.
The St. Louis County Police Department initially said there was no immediately obvious cause of death; they confirmed after an autopsy on Wednesday that the man had been fatally shot and the grassy area surrounding his body had been burned.
A St. Louis County police spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that authorities are investigating a possible connection between the deaths, which are both being considered homicides.
Anyone with information is asked to call the St. Louis County Police Department at 636-529-8210 to speak with investigators. To be anonymous or possibly receive a reward, contact CrimeStoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS (8477).