2 bodies found in burnt vehicle near former Good Hope school

FREDERIKSTED — St. Croix is on edge after Virgin Islands Police said they’re investigating two bodies found in a burned vehicle — and two 19-year-old men have been missing since Friday.

The department has not said if there is any connection between the cases, and police spokesman Glen Dratte said Sunday that the Criminal Investigation Bureau “detectives cannot confirm the identity until we get back the results” of a planned autopsy. “We’ve submitted samples for DNA testing so we can be able to positively identify the bodies once the results of the resting is completed,” Dratte said via email.

Dratte, in a statement released Friday night, said that the Criminal Investigation Bureau “is currently investigating a matter where two deceased individuals were found in a burnt vehicle near the beach in the vicinity of the former Good Hope School in Frederiksted.”

A caller reported the vehicle at 5:08 p.m. Friday, and police said the bodies had not yet been identified, pending analysis by the Medical Examiner. In response to questions, Virgin Islands Fire and Emergency Medical Services Director Antonio Stevens confirmed that “the vehicle was on fire prior to responders arriving.”