3 bodies found in remote area on Indianapolis south side

UPDATED Oct. 17

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The bodies of three people have been discovered in a remote area on the Indianapolis far south side, police said.

Two of the bodies were found Tuesday night by an off-duty Indianapolis police officer. The third body was located during a subsequent search of the area between a creek and Interstate 465, police said.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office identified two of the bodies as those of 22-year-old Michael James and 18-year-old Joseph Thomas. The third body was identified days later as 17-year-old Abdulla Mubarak. 

Each of the victims had been shot, the coroner's office said.

Thomas was reported missing to Indianapolis police earlier Tuesday.

The off-duty officer was checking on the property when he found the first two bodies, police said.