INDIANAPOLIS — Three people were found dead Tuesday night in a remote area on the south side of Indianapolis, police said.
An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer working in an off-duty capacity for a nearby business found two bodies just before 8 p.m. while making a routine check of the area along a property in the 4400 block of South Meridian Street near Interstate 465.
A third body was found later in the investigation after additional officers were called to the scene.
Michael James, 22, Abdulla Mubarak, 17, and Joseph Thomas, 18, all died from gunshot wounds, according to the Marion County Coroner's Office.
On Tuesday afternoon, IMPD asked for the public's assistance with locating Thomas after he was last seen Oct. 10 in the 200 block of East Hanna Avenue, about a mile away from where he was found.
IMPD Officer William Young said the remote location complicated the investigation. Young said investigators used all-terrain vehicles to move around and search the area.
"With a rural area or wooded area next to an interstate, it makes the investigation that much more tough for our investigators," Young said. "However, our investigators will be very thorough in this investigation and they will continue to turn over every leaf, speak with community members."
Police have not released information about what might have led to their deaths. IMPD homicide detectives are investigating the case.
Anyone with information is asked to contact IMPD Detective Jose Torres by phone at 317-327-3475 or email at Jose.Torres@indy.gov. People can also call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana anonymously at 317-262-8477.
