May 17, 2008 9:55 pm US/Eastern
Tenafly Horror Mystery Looms
Badly Decomposed Bodies Cause Delay
Tenafly, N.J. (AP) ―
The bodies of three people found inside a home this week were so badly decomposed that their identities will have to be confirmed via dental records, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said Saturday night.
Authorities had hoped to have a relative identify the bodies discovered Friday night in the Tenafly home, but those plans were scrapped Saturday due to the condition of the bodies, said Frank Puccio, the executive assistant county prosecutor.
Puccio said officials would likely not be able to confirm the victims identities until sometime next week. However, authorities believe the three—described as a man apparently in his 70s, a woman apparently in her 50s and a male believed to be in his 20s— were the people who lived in the home, which was owned by one of the victims.
Each victim had sustained multiple stab wounds, and authorities said the bodies could have been in the 3-story home for as long as a week. It appears that the last time anyone had contact with one of the three victims was May 3, Puccio said.
Meanwhile, autopsies were being performed on Saturday as authorities continued to search for clues and a motive in the deaths.
Neighbors said investigators searched the entire block— including sewers—for clues late Friday and Saturday, but it was not known what—if any—evidence was recovered.
Authorities said the house had not been ransacked and there were no signs of a struggle. The older man's body was found on the second floor, while the other two bodies were discovered on the third floor of the home.
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